Prescription Medicine Disposal

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 12:15 — 14.2MB)

Are you aware that some of the most dangerous substances to children and adolescents may be sitting in your medicine cabinet? Every year, children mistakenly ingest prescription medications that are not secured properly. Even scarier is that some adolescents purposely find and abuse these medications. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of deaths from drug poisonings has been steadily increasing since 1999. Old, leftover prescription medications pose a serious threat to everyone in the household.

It is imperative that expired, leftover or unused prescription medications are disposed of properly and immediately. But, it’s not enough to simply throw these straight into the trash. Many medications should be flushed down the toilet – but check on the label or accompanying instructions to be sure. For medications that are not to be flushed, mix them with a substance like wet coffee grounds or cat litter, seal them and place them in the trash.

Another great resource to utilize if you’re unsure of the best way to dispose of these medications is to bring them to a government-organized Drug Take Back Day. You can call your local government’s trash or recycling service to find out if a take-back program is available in your community. You can also visit www.dea.gov or call 800-882-9539 to find a take-back site near you.

Listen in as we talk with Terry Laurila, a pharmacy manager at Nationwide Children's, and Julie Zaucha, Manager of Pharmacy Operations at Nationwide Children’s, about the best ways to dispose of old, unused prescription medications – and the hazards they pose if left in the medicine cabinet.

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Explaining the Country’s Infant Mortality Rate – Part 2

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:20 — 30.3MB)

Infant mortality rates among the African American population are higher than those of the Caucasian population in this country. Part two of this infant mortality podcast addresses some theories that explain this disparity, including the issues of poverty, education and racism in the African American community. These stressors affect a woman’s overall health and as a result, the health of her baby before, during and after pregnancy. Listen in as Dr. Arthur James delves into these and other environmental factors that all contribute to very specific birth trends among this population. Dr. James also addresses how the genetics of this population are affected by environmental factors, and in turn, influence the infant mortality rate.

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Explaining the Country’s Infant Mortality Rate – Part 1

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:14 — 25.6MB)

The measurement of infant mortality says a lot about a country, especially its quality and accessibility of good public health. Even in some of the wealthiest countries in the world, though – such as the United States – infant mortality rates remain high. Infant mortality is defined as the death of a newborn baby before his or her first birthday, and there are three major causes for it in this country: birth defects, sudden infant death and prematurity.

Listen in to part one of two as Dr. Arthur James, Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The OSU College of Medicine, and co-director of the Ohio Better Birth Outcomes project at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and also co-director of the Ohio Department of Health’s Collaborative to Prevent Infant Mortality, talks about the main contributing factors of infant mortality in the United States. He’ll also bring to light some ways in which the state of Ohio and Nation Children’s are working to bring the infant mortality rate down. In part two of this podcast, he’ll continue to talk about initiatives aimed at reducing this rate, as well as the role of life experience as a contributing factor, specifically racism.

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Pediatric Asthma

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 26:00 — 29.9MB)

Pediatric asthma is a big problem in this country. Did you know that each year, 10 million school days are missed due to asthma? And, over half a million kids visit an emergency department each year due to an asthma-related concern. Asthma is a chronic condition that often times requires medication. It also requires a lot of education for children and their families. The asthma team here at Nationwide Children’s Hospital is taking asthma management even further to offer the best possible care for our children. Our doctors, nurses and respiratory therapists have worked together to develop a home management plan of care, or action plan, that is specific to each child and covers the proper use of prescribed medications, list of triggers, who the child’s primary care provider is and that provider’s contact information. The action plan also includes details on how soon a family needs to follow up with their primary care provider if their child has been admitted and then discharged from the hospital. Listen in as Beth Allen, MD, Stephen Hersey, MD and Gloria Ayres, respiratory care program coordinator, discuss the ways our asthma team here at Nationwide Children’s is ensuring our patients get the best possible care.

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PediaCast MashUp

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Podcast: Download (Duration: 59:53 — 54.8MB)

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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Surgical Hypothermia

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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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Button Batteries

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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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Hand Hygiene at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

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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.

Pastoral Care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

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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.

Effects of mother’s addiction on infants: Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

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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.