HJLR Nov/Dec 2018

dialogue 14 NOV / DEC 2018 I  Healthcare Journal of LITTLE ROCK   fromus. Anumber of solutions to obstacles on our campus have been created from the input of our family advisory boards. We have a robust app that helps families navi- gate our large campus in Little Rock with turn-by-turn directions inside the hospital. We are addressing wait times and improving waiting spaces with distraction opportuni- ties that keep kids busy. Family input drives our progress. Editor What children’s health issues are on the rise, or posing new challenges? Doderer This may be an unexpected one, but it strikes me frequently: Social media savvy parents as disrupters in pediatric healthcare. I am absolutely challenged by this shift. Thoughtful, educated families are relying on Facebook groups and blogging as their source of medical expertise, sidestep- ping their pediatrician’s or nurse’s advice. This results in a change in how we address a lot of healthcare issues, froma child’s fever spiking to a newborn who doesn’t eat well. Any number of concerns that moms used to bring solely to their general pediatrician are now being resolved through social networks. We have to be concerned about what that means for children’s safety first and fore- most, but also how it affects our connection to parents as our customers. Editor What are some specific thingsArkan- sas Children’s Hospital is doing to improve and measure quality? Doderer We have an entire infrastructure built toaddress quality and safety throughout Arkansas Children’s. We are always asking— is it safe, effective, timely, efficient, equitable, and family-centered?We absolutely believe if you’re not measuring it and monitoring it, it is going to be impossible to manage it. Arkansas Children’s has a physician leader on our team who is responsible for ensur- ing quality and safety. Some of the specific things we’re working to improve include decreasing surgical site infections and reducing catheter-associated bloodstream infections. We are also working to lower unnecessary emergency visits for asthma patients and reduce readmission rates into the emergency room. At the same time, we are developing clinical practice guide- lines which allow us to deliver effective and high-value care to children. We are defining measures around the effectiveness of clini- cal practice guidelines in addition to pre- ventative health measures in children. We are also looking at hospital readmissions through a lens of health equity and social determinants; we want to see what commu- nities may needmore support in the handoff fromhospital to home. Improvement means making life better for our patients when they are discharged from our care. Editor What is in the future of pediatric care, children’s hospitals in general, and specifi- cally, Arkansas Children’s Hospital? Doderer The future extends well beyond the traditional health care delivery model, and far from the hospital’s brick-and-mor- tar walls. It is truly in making a promise to improve overall child health statewide. At Arkansas Children’s, we are a vocal advo- cate to ensure this state becomes the safest, healthiest place to raise a child. We can’t be satisfied with being No. 40-something on every list and indicator of child well-being. We want to be the driving force that trans- formsArkansas into an environment where its 710,000 children flourish. We are doing that through innovative partnerships. We look to private industry to think about how we will make neighborhoods safer places for children, especially the 27 percent living in poverty. At the same time, we are exploring collaborations with educators and educa- tion systems because we believe kindergar- ten readiness is essential if a child is going to meet his or her fullest potential. It is our obligation to gather unexpected partners and dream up creative, practical solutions that design a brighter future for everyArkan- sas child where they live, learn, and play. n “At Arkansas Children’s, we are a vocal advocate to ensure this state becomes the safest, healthiest place to raise a child.”