Our Radiology Department is the proud recipient of a $5,000 grant awarded by the Co-Operative Society of Cincinnati Children’s. The funds will be used to update the iPad program that has directly improved patient care and decreased the need for sedation or anesthesia for Radiology procedures. Since the introduction of iPads into the Radiology Department in 2012, we have found that internet access, apps for all different ages, and many options for music and videos has improved patient cooperation as well as the overall patient/family experience.
The initial iPad program has expanded over the past six years and has contributed to improved patient care, safety, and satisfaction. The iPads are available for Radiology staff (RNs, technologists, patient care assistants, and child life) to use directly with patients at any time of the day or night. Most commonly, the iPads are utilized as an alternative-focus intervention during challenging or invasive procedures that may be uncomfortable or require a child to hold still for a specific length of time. If you walked through the Radiology Department at any time you might see a child engaged with an iPad during an ultrasound, playing a game as an IV is being placed or watching a favorite show during an UGI. The apps and games are specifically chosen for their developmental impact and utilized intentionally as “tools” when supporting a patient during a procedure.
The iPads however are so much more than just “fun and games.” We use an interpreter app on the iPad to communicate with non-English speaking patients and families and we have conducted real-time patient/family experience surveys using the iPads. The iPads are a significant resource for educational materials for our patients and families, such as the photo preparation books for kids coming for various imaging including PET, MRI and CT scans and audio examples of the MRI sounds. Using this iPad resource we are able to offer accurate information using a familiar medium.
Radiology is honored to be one of over 20 departments or programs at Cincinnati Children’s to receive the annual Co-Op gift giving funds. The mission of the Co-Operative Society is to enrich the services and environment of Cincinnati Children’s by providing opportunities to better serve patients and families through the fund recipients. This generous support from the Co-Operative Society will positively impact patients and families in Radiology for many years to come.
