Author Archives: Dr. Rick McClead

Button Batteries

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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 [...]

Hand Hygiene at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

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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 [...]

Pastoral Care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital

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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 [...]

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

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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 [...]

Reducing the Frequency of Pediatric Pressure Ulcers

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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 [...]

Hospital-Acquired Infections

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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 [...]

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) – Part 2

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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, [...]

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) – Part 1

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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, [...]

Collaboration, Community Keys to Keep Me Well Program

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Nationwide Children’s Hospital is taking responsibility for its special health care needs population. How? By utilizing our extensive network, partnerships and resources to provide treatment and prevention services in five focus areas: obesity, prematurity, diabetes, asthma and health supervision. Nationwide Children’s Hospital’s Keep Me Well program is committed to ensuring that children with special health [...]

Keep Me Well

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In their August 25, 2010 commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine, Howard Koh, MD, Assistant Secretary for Health, and Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services describe the major components of the Affordable Care Act that was passed by Congress and signed by President Obama this Spring. The overriding theme of the [...]