How Putting Patients At Ease Can Improve Care

It looked like the autistic child at theChildren's Hospital of GeorgiaatAugusta University (AU) Healthwould have to be sedated. Showing extreme apprehension, the young boy flatly refused to even go into the CT suite, staff recalled. That changed after the child "scanned" a foam elephant with the Philips KittenScanner.

"It has a way of explaining things that children can understand," said Julie G. Moretz, AU Health assistant vice president ofPatient- and Family-Centered Care.

The KittenScanner can tell several different stories, depending on the foam toy — elephant, chicken, alligator or robot — chosen by the patient. Reading the computer chip embedded in the foam elephant, the KittenScanner told the autistic child the faux animal's "tummy ache" was caused by fish in its drinking water.

一位技术专家说，就像KittenScanner找到了大象麻烦的原因一样，隔壁房间的CAT扫描仪可能会帮助医生找出小男孩的烦恼所在。

位于乔治亚州奥古斯塔的非AU健康中心以病人和家庭为中心的医疗服务的一个例子就是这个模拟的CT扫描仪，它和玩它的孩子一样高。莫瑞兹说，在儿科影像科实施的这类服务有助于提高工作人员的效率和患者的体验。

Putting the Patient First

Happy and comfortable patients cooperate, which is important for creating a better patient experience, as well as keeping patients safe, Moretz explained. They hold still, so motion artifacts don't degrade images, which can reduce the need for more scans. Their exams are quick, which optimizes patient throughput. And working together with patients and their parents to keep them happy and safe helps Children’s Hospital of Georgia keep its patients coming back.

"Anytime we can make them feel like they're being heard and included as part of the health care team, then it’s not so scary to come back," she said.

A couple years ago, when redesigning the pediatric imaging suite, a multidisciplinary team of experts from the radiology department and the AU Health-Philips alliance completed an in-depth, on-site analysis and gathered input from patients, parents and staff to define clinical, functional and emotional requirements for the new pediatric radiology suite. Designers considered surveys detailing what patients and parents liked and didn't like; spoke with radiology staff; even wheeled architects on gurneys through the department to give them a "patients' eye view."

AU Health staff noticed, for example, that warm blankets make scans easier on the patient. Designers moved the blanket warmer closer, so technologists didn't have to leave patients unattended. Ceilings were raised so clouds and forests could be painted above the equipment; "non-hospital" lights were installed with colors that could be chosen by the patients; and an interactive "video wall" was wired into the patient "waiting lounge."

With its 80 different distractions, the wall is the centerpiece of the Children’s Hospital imaging suite. Children hop up and down to pop balloons or pick apples from trees. They watch waves ripple across a puddle; corn kernels pop; fireworks explode.

"You will always see a child standing there playing," Moretz said. "You can also see adults standing there playing — looking around to see if anybody is watching them."

Calm Before The Exam

Like the wall and other gadgets in the pediatric imaging department, the KittenScanner engages patients. It takes the mystery out of the CAT scan; empowers children with information; and distracts them.

小的东西会产生很大的影响，比如“儿童尺寸”的台面和桌子;或者让孩子们控制灯光的颜色。莫瑞兹说，当儿科病人的父母看到孩子放松时，他们“感觉好多了”。

Not surprisingly, children who must return to Children’s Hospital of Georgia for follow-up exams look forward to their visits, she said. So engaging is the video wall, for example, that some patients hesitate when called for their exams. Staff have a fix that fits the character of their patient-centric approach.

"Staff tell them, wait till you see what you can do in the next room," Moretz said.

The award-winning redesign included extending the upbeat atmosphere of the waiting lounge to "waiting nooks." Located just outside the exam rooms, these nooks are where patients and their families prepare for imaging exams. Children can choose non-hospital lighting — pink, lime green or "rainbow." And they can play sounds, like wind blowing or waves crashing.

This gives children a sense of control exactly when they need it most. The proximity of the nooks is similarly calming. "While a parent may be with their child during an exam, it makes the experience better (when they) know that other family members are right outside the door," said Moretz, who noted that family presence is an important aspect of patient- and family-centered care.

成像室墙壁上的触摸面板鼓励儿科患者在检查时选择灯光和声音。当然，那些对CAT扫描感到紧张的人可以提前玩一下KittenScanner。

Vendors, like all stakeholders at AU Health, must respect "patient voices and our patient- and family-centered values," Moretz said. Vendors have to be prepared to "operationalize the mission and the vision that we expect as our standard of care," she said. "That is where the philosophy of patient- and family-centered care comes into practice."

For more information about Philips patient- and staff-centered imaging solutions, visitwww.philips.com/radiology