Spring 2010 - Arkansas Children's Hospital

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EDUCATION CareHub System Is Transforming Hospital Experience for ACH Patients CareHub, a communication, education and entertainment system available in each patient room at ACH, provides education opportunities and entertainment options for patients and families. Haley Curtis, a patient at ACH, enjoys using CareHub, a communication, entertainment and education system placed at each patient’s bedside in the hospital. ■ Kila Owens Haley Curtis is used to being in the hospital. As a cystic fibrosis patient, Haley has been visiting Arkansas Children’s Hospital for several years. And she always thought her visits were a little…boring. “Let’s face it – being in the hospital isn’t fun,” she says. “But if there wasn’t anything good on TV, and if a gaming system wasn’t available, there just really wasn’t a lot to do.” That all changed in 2007 when ACH introduced CareHub, a customdeveloped communication, entertainment and education system placed at each patient’s bedside. The project was initiated by the hospital’s Education Council, which includes representatives from several areas of the hospital, as well as patient families. The council brainstormed ideas and worked with the ACH information technology department to make the system a reality. “For families who haven’t experienced it, it’s difficult to understand how isolating a prolonged hospital stay can be for a child,” says Penny Ward, nursing director of the ACH Adolescent Unit. “For these young people, being removed from everyday contact with peers and families is a great challenge. Today, kids are completely ‘hooked up’ – to the Internet, to gaming. We needed to meet those needs because a hospital stay can feel like an eternity.” The project was piloted in the Adolescent Unit of the hospital and rolled out hospital-wide six months later. With a parent’s permission, CareHub allows patients and families to communicate with family and friends back home. Also, patients can chat online with other patients in their hospital unit, essentially forming a mini-support group. Through CareHub, each patient has access to the Internet, so patients and parents can send emails, correspond with work or update patient websites. CareHub also contains entertainment features such as an Xbox 360 gaming system and movies, games and music available on-demand. Previously, gaming systems were shared between patients, which required extensive cleaning after each use, due to infection control issues. “The CareHub system far surpasses any other system of its kind,” says Dr. Chris Smith*, associate medical director at ACH. “From entertainment to communication to education, the system has had a positive effect on how kids view their time in the hospital.” CareHub helps ACH patients learn more about their disease or condition – both during and after their stay in the hospital. Patients and families can access educational videos through CareHub while the child is an inpatient at ACH. For patients and parents dealing with new diagnoses, educational videos can improve their understanding of the disease or condition. Once they leave the hospital, patients can access videos and information available on CareHub from their home computer through the ACH website. “The external access to CareHub is a huge extension of our education plan,” says Ward. “There is great support for patients while they are hospitalized, but they could only take written material home. Access to education from home is very valuable because needed information can be shared with others, such as the babysitter or next-door neighbor, so they can know how to properly take care of these kids.” Physicians also use CareHub to educate patients and families. Once a doctor swipes his or her identification badge through a card reader for verification, he or she can access patient records, x-rays and other medical information directly at the patient’s bedside. “Young patients are very visually oriented,” Ward says. “When you are talking to adolescents and can pull up a picture of their lungs right there, it has a great impact. This encourages patients to be involved in their own care.” The placement of CareHub units in all patient rooms in the hospital has been a great success. “Connecting patients and families to the outside world, providing them with entertainment options and teaching them more about their illness has really changed the patient experience at ACH,” says Dr. Smith. “CareHub will continue to expand to meet the needs of patients and families.” CareHub has the stamp of approval from patients, including Haley. “Being in the hospital is not like being in a five-star hotel, but CareHub definitely makes being in the hospital a lot less boring,” she says. *Chris Smith, MD, is associate medical director of ACH, medical director of the PULSE Center, and vice chairman for education, associate professor of pediatrics and director of hospitalist service, UAMS College of Medicine. 8
PREVENTION Teens Are Driving Smarter, Thanks to Peer-Led Challenge Made Possible By Donor Funding The Arkansas Drive Smart Challenge, funded by the Allstate Foundation, is helping students encourage their peers to always wear a seat belt and eliminate cell phone use while driving. ■ Kila Owens In Arkansas, teen drivers are involved in car crashes at a much higher rate than the national average. Several groups of teenagers in central Arkansas want to change those numbers and educate their peers through the Arkansas Drive Smart Challenge. Each year, nearly 6,000 teens are killed and 300,000 injured in vehicle crashes in the United States. In Arkansas, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for youth ages 14-19, and studies have shown the risk of crashing is four times higher when a driver is using a cell phone. To reverse these statistics, the ACH Injury Prevention Center (IPC) has issued the Arkansas Drive Smart Challenge to students at seven high schools in Pulaski County. The Drive Smart Challenge, which is funded by the Allstate Foundation, is a peer-leadership project aimed at increasing seat belt use and decreasing cell phone use while teens are driving. “We wanted to get students involved so they can encourage their peers to drive smarter,” says Olivia Wilson, youth outreach coordinator with the IPC. “This Drive Smart Challenge, which would not be possible without support from the Allstate Foundation, is very much a student-led project. Students know the best way to reach their peers and we want the Drive Smart Challenge to make as much of an impact as possible.” Each of the seven schools participating chose a group of four to 25 students to coordinate the project. Each group was led by two student leaders and one faculty advisor. Wilson visited each school, sharing the startling statistics about teen motor vehicle crashes and presenting information about the Drive Smart Challenge. The students and advisors were enthusiastic about the project and immediately began brainstorming ideas on how to share the safe driving message in their schools. Each school received a mini-grant of $250 to implement their strategies. According to Donald Richardson, advisor for the Parkview High School group, the Drive Smart Challenge is a perfect opportunity for students to learn other skills as well. “These students are sharing an important message with their peers,” he says. “Through the Drive Smart Challenge, they are informing their peers of better driving methods and also learning the best way to work together as a team. They are learning how to brainstorm and be creative when coming up with new ideas and they are learning important leadership qualities.” “Buckle Up” stencils have been added to the parking lots of several high schools, thanks to the Arkansas Drive Smart Challenge, funded by the Allstate Foundation. Through the Arkansas Drive Smart Challenge, teens from seven Little Rock schools are working together to educate their peers on the dangers of reckless driving. Here, a group from Parkview High School prepares a presentation for their fellow students. Several schools have hosted safe driving assemblies, hung posters in hallways and painted “Buckle Up” messages in their student parking lots. One school is involving parents through a special website where they can learn more about the dangers of teen driving. Another school has handed out candy during lunch, with each piece wrapped in a message about why wearing a seat belt is so important. The students, with help from the IPC, recorded data on student driving practices before the project began. Standing in each school’s parking lot, the students counted the number of students wearing seat belts and the number of students using their cell phone while driving. When the project concludes in early May, data will again be collected to determine the effectiveness of the Drive Smart Challenge. The IPC has applied for funding with the Allstate Foundation to continue the project next year, when they will target more high schools. The Drive Smart Challenge has been introduced in high schools in Michigan and Colorado, and in both instances, data showed students practicing safer driving methods. Wilson is confident that the project will be a success here in Arkansas. “The students are enjoying the project, and they are excited about sharing this information with their peers,” says Wilson. “To see these kids so excited is very rewarding. They are working hard, and they are getting the message out there. The Drive Smart Challenge is definitely working.” For more information on the Drive Smart Challenge, please contact the Injury Prevention Center at 501-364-3400. 9
Page 2 and 3: CONTENTS Ambassadors Make a Differe
Page 4 and 5: PEDIATRIC CARE Michelle Leach, an A
Page 6 and 7: RESEARCH For the past few years, Al
Page 10 and 11: PEDIATRIC CARE Ambassadors Continue
Page 12 and 13: Your Gifts Make Us Better W Thank y
Page 14 and 15: DONORS Pat Walker, chairman of the
Page 16 and 17: DONORS Because they were impressed
Page 18 and 19: CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK The We
Page 20 and 21: CHILDREN’S MIRACLE NETWORK Walmar
Page 22 and 23: AUXILIARY GROUPS CIRCLE Quarterly O
Page 24: Arkansas Children’s Hospital Foun

Spring 2010 - Arkansas Children's Hospital

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