To facilitate the development of optimal health policies related to health care delivery in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU), it is important to measure the outcomes after ICU care. Models for prediction of mortality and functional outcomes have been developed in this setting. Such models have been applied in many clinical, cost-containment, and management studies. Newer severity of illness models have also been proposed that may improve the scope of their application in the pediatric ICU. With the changing and dynamic nature of medical strategies in the pediatric ICU, these models will likely need to be reevaluated over time to meet these changes. Future research should aim at developing comprehensive quality of life models for estimating patient outcomes in the pediatric ICU.