Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:53 — 54.9MB)
Here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, we try to get useful information out to the community through as many channels as possible. If you’re reading this, you are obviously familiar with Children’s on Quality. But have you taken a listen to PediaCast? It’s another podcast we host here at Nationwide Children’s, and it’s produced by our very own Dr. Mike. When he’s not seeing patients over at the hospital, Dr. Mike is in his studio interviewing our doctors about all sorts of kids’ health topics and answering listener questions. While the focus of Children’s on Quality is on internal quality initiatives, both podcasts share one common goal: to educate the community about pediatric health topics and how Nationwide Children’s is striving to provide the best possible treatment for all kids. And, believe it or not, Dr. McClead and Dr. Mike share a history! Dr. McClead was an attending neonatologist here at Nationwide Children’s when Dr. Mike was a fourth-year medical student back in 1994. Listen in as these two share the inspiration behind their respective podcasts, the kind of topics they tackle and what the future holds.
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Podcast: Download (Duration: 13:31 — 15.5MB)
Hypothermia might not even cross your mind when you think about having surgery. But it’s actually not unheard of in hospital operating rooms across the country – among children and adults.
When a person is under anesthesia, he or she loses the ability to regulate body temperature. This means that his or her body temperature mirrors that of the room. If the body cools down so much as to lead to mild hypothermia, this restricts the movement of white blood cells, which are important for fighting off bacteria. If white blood cells can’t travel where they need to, this increases the chance of a surgical site infection.
The staff at Nationwide Children’s has been implementing various interventions to eliminate the occurrence of mild hypothermia. Some of these include warming the operating room before the patient arrives and maintaining it during the procedure, using warming blankets during travel and warming the mattress that patients lie on during the operation.
Listen in as Dr. Tom Taghon, director for Anesthesia Services, and Mike Fetzer, quality service line coordinator for Perioperative Services, talk specifics on how Nationwide Children’s Hospital is combating the cases of mild hypothermia, and how this is improving overall quality of care.
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Podcast: Download (Duration: 17:13 — 19.7MB)
Do you know what a button battery is? With the increasing production of electronic products in the consumer market, more button batteries are found in the home setting. From remote controls and watches to musical greeting cards and toys, these small, shiny objects are the perfect size for a curious child to swallow or even push into their nasal cavity or ear canal. It is important for parents to be aware of the dangers that button batteries pose to young children and the damage that these batteries can cause. Listen in as we talk with Kris Jatana, MD, a pediatric head and neck surgeon here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, about the dangers of these batteries, and just how quickly tissue damage can occur if ingested.
For more information and to listen to the rest of Susan Saudaukas’s story, check out our video news release here: http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/news-room-articles/physicians-at-nationwide-childrens-hospital-warn-consumers-of-the-dangers-of-button-batteries?contentid=97339
For tips on preventing button battery injuries, check out this website: www.poison.org/battery/tips.asp.
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Podcast: Download (Duration: 10:55 — 12.5MB)
In the United States, an estimated 5 percent of patients develop an infection while hospitalized. That is nearly 2 million people infected each year. Although hand washing has long been regarded as the most effective preventative measure, estimates of hand hygiene compliance in the healthcare industry range from 40 to 70 percent. Nationwide Children’s Hospital is different, though. In fact, our audits reveal a sustained compliance rate of over 90 percent with many units exhibiting 100 percent compliance. What’s our secret? Listen in as we talk with Dr. Dennis Cunningham, Medical Director for Epidemiology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, about how Nationwide Children’s Hospital is leading the industry in hand washing compliance.
Want to learn more about Hand Hygiene at Nationwide Children’s Hospital? Click here to watch a video about our impressive hand hygiene compliance rates.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 15:54 — 18.2MB)
For children and their families, a stay in the hospital can be a very stressful time. Pain, worry and fear of the unknown are often made harder by being away from family and friends. The Pastoral Care Program at Nationwide Children’s Hospital aims to support families and staff going through difficult times and also to rejoice in happy occasions or successes. One unique feature to our program is its multicultural nature. We consider all cultural traditions, personal preferences and values, family situations, social circumstances, lifestyles and religions when advising patients, families and staff and creating services and programs. Our pastoral care staff is trained to address the most sensitive of issues that may take place in a children’s hospital. We recognize the importance of supporting our staff so that we, in turn, can provide the best possible care to our patients and their families. Listen in as the Rev. Susan Kyser, Director of Pastoral Care, joins me in discussing our program.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 19:31 — 22.3MB)
When a pregnant woman uses addictive drugs (illicit or certain prescription drugs), she puts her baby at risk for a number of problems. Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a term for a group of problems a baby experiences after birth when withdrawing from exposure to narcotics or other addictive substances such as tobacco. These can be long-term, mental or physical in nature and are always harmful to the development of a child. NAS is on the rise all over the world, including central Ohio. Listen in as we discuss NAS and how Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s neonatal services staff have worked to combat its rise in central Ohio. Joining me are Erin Keels, manager of the neonatal nurse practitioners at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Jackie Schnieder, a neonatal pharmacist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Barry Halpern, MD, a neonatologist and Medical Director for the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Special Care Nursery at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, OH.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 15:06 — 17.3MB)
A 2002 article regarding the incidence and prevalence of pressure ulcers in children reported from survey data that the incidence of pressure ulcers in children was less than 0.3 percent. In 2011, we know this not to be the case. In fact, hospital-acquired pressure ulcers are on the rise. Perhaps healthcare providers thought pressure ulcers were infrequent simply because we weren’t looking for them. We have made great strides here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in reducing the frequency of pediatric pressure ulcers. What’s more, we are continuing our efforts to drive that frequency all the way down to zero. Listen in as Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s staff weighs in on this important issue: Michelle Miller, MD, Chief of the Section of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Michelle McKissick, Vice President of Surgical and Critical Care nursing and Leah Keller, Quality Improvement Coordinator and your host, Rick McClead, MD, Medical Director for Quality Improvement Services.
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Podcast: Download (Duration: 20:18 — 23.2MB)
There used to be a time when a certain amount of hospital-acquired infections were expected and accepted in the healthcare industry. Now, Nationwide Children’s Hospital is taking proactive measures to change that attitude and to prevent and reduce the number of hospital-acquired infections on its campus. And, as these infections decline, Nationwide Children’s is committed to maintaining these improvements through additional initiatives. Dennis Cunningham, MD, Medical Director of Epidemiology and Jodi Vinsel, Program Director of Epidemiology, specifically discuss how Nationwide Children’s Hospital is working to reduce five key infections: catheter-associated blood stream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, surgical site infections and various respiratory infections.
Tags: catheter-associated blood stream infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections, Children's on Quality, Dennis Cunningham, healthcare, Hospital-Acquired Infections, Jodi Vinsel, MD, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia
Podcast: Download (Duration: 16:05 — 18.4MB)
Our discussion of the electronic medical record continues as we address its advantages and disadvantages. One advantage: Electronic Medical Records increase the accessibility of a patient’s record; a doctor can access a patient’s information from any computer hooked up to the system. This may make for speedier, more accurate treatment. As with any major change, though, it will take time for doctors and staff to transition from an informal paper process to a more formal electronic method of record-keeping. In the long run, EMRs may allow for remote medicine, diagnosis, e-prescribing and other off-site treatment.
Podcast: Download (Duration: 13:36 — 15.6MB)
In a time where speed and accessibility are ever-growing priorities for businesses, it’s hard to believe that the healthcare industry has only recently made use of the electronic medical record (EMR). Healthcare has always been about information management, but only recently have hospitals recognized the value of the EMR. Listen in as David Rich, MD, Chief Medical Information Officer at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Jeff Hoffman, MD and Jim Menke, MD discuss why it’s taken so long for the industry to adopt this new technology and how Nationwide Children’s Hospital is among the top ten percent of hospitals throughout the country leading this transition. Be sure to listen in on part two of this podcast, as we continue our discussion about the advantages and disadvantages of the EMR.
