Setting a Better Scene

       We welcome parents partnership as we provide care. You are your child's best advocate and we want you to speak up if something doesn't seem right, doesn't make sense, or if you didn't see us clean our hands. In this article, child life staff person Jeri Kayser outlines the importance of One Voice speaking to help children in uncomfortable medical procedures. We invite parents to talk with us about who will be the "One Voice" before any upcoming procedure.

You are six years old. You don’t feel so hot. You are lying on a strange bed and you’re pretty sure your mom has been crying. The room fills up with lots of grown-ups dressed in weird clothes and they are all staring at you. One of them has some stuff in their hands and another has pushed in something on wheels. One of them grabs your arm and wraps something tight around it. You start to cry. Everyone starts talking at once. You can’t understand anything between their noise and yours. You begin to scream.

No one wants this scene, not the parents, not the healthcare staff and definitely not the child. But just like any scene in a play, we can direct the components of the event to purposefully set the stage. You are in control when you plan and you reduce anxiety when you feel more in control. Planning is the key.

This is not a new concept and there have been many programs developed to give structure to the planning process. “One Voice” is one such model that reminds us of what steps are important to consider when a child is about to undergo a medical procedure. Deb Majors, a child life specialist from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, developed “One Voice” as an acronym to remind us of what steps are helpful when planning a medical intervention with a child.

O One voice should be heard during the procedure:
N Need for parental involvement:
E Educate the patient before the procedure about what is going to happen:
V Validate a child with your words.
O Offer the most comfortable, non-threatening position.
I Individualize your game plan.
C Choose appropriate distraction
E Eliminate unnecessary staff who are not actively involved with the procedure.

The basic idea is make sure that everyone who is in the room has been prepared for what to expect and know what their responsibilities are to meet the common goal of completing the procedure. The individual needs of the child and family are assessed and incorporated into the plan. The main backbone of this concept is to have one person’s voice explain the action in the room and help assign roles, much like a director.

Typically, someone is providing comfort, someone is providing distraction and someone is performing the medical intervention. Any of those involved can be the “One Voice”, letting the child know what is expected next. The advantage of having only one person describing what to expect allows the child to more readily focus on what they need to know.

Sounds simple, right? It would be if we weren’t human. When any of us hear a child in distress our natural instincts kick in and we want to provide comfort. “It’s okay!” “Only a little pinch!” “What’s the name of your bear?” “Hey, did you see that Twins game?”  All of that comes off like a verbal bombing raid. The child goes into shut-down mode and isn’t focused on what anyone is saying. If we plan ahead and have only one voice we give the child the opportunity to be able to listen.

Jeri Kayser has been a Child Life Specialist at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota since 1985. Her educational background is in child development and psychology.

Let's give a Warm Welcome to:

Hello! My name is Maikhou Vang and I am so happy to be the Hmong LEP Patient and Family Advocate and Interpreter for the Cancer and Blood Disorders clinic at Children’s Hospitals and Clinics. What I love about this expanded role beyond the interpreting is that I get to use my cultural expertise while working with patients, families and staff members in order to offer better care. I am excited to be a part of your team!
Thank you for all the warm welcome.

My name is Rev. Hal C Weldin and I’m very excited to be joining the Oncology and Hospice teams at Children’s on February 11th 2013. Hal was featured in our previous newsletter.

Have you met the research staff?

Have you seen random people walking around the clinic with clipboards?  Have you been asked to fill out a questionnaire, survey, or consent form related to research?  If so, you have encountered our fabulous research staff!  Cancer and Blood Disorders research covers both hematology and oncology fields and includes a hard-working team dedicated to working collaboratively with various disciplines and cooperative research groups to advance research in these fields.

The Cancer and Blood Disorders clinical research department at Children’s started with one Clinical Research Associate in 1985.   Prior to designating specific research staff, all clinic staff members were responsible for reporting research data. Today, we've grown into a much larger team, with nine official Clinical Research Associates, four Research Coordinators, and one support staff member, plus support from providers, nurses, and physical therapists.  Currently, we have 124 research protocols open for both hematology and oncology research, and receive funding from organizations such as Children’s Oncology Group (COG), National Institutes of Health (NIH), Hyundai Hope on Wheels, Pine Tree Apple Tennis Classic, St. Baldrick’s Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.  If you or your children are qualified candidates for research, your provider may contact you about participating in a study.   To learn more about research at Children’s, please visit the Children’s website at http://www.childrensmn.org/services/cancer-and-blood-disorders/research.

Winter festivities

On Saturday Feb. 23rd Children’s Center for Bleeding & Clotting Disorders in partnership with the Hemophilia Foundation (HFMD) held a Winter Fitness and Education Event. A group of 35 patients, family members and staff met at French Regional Park in Plymouth for education on fitness and bleeding disorders, while also enjoying a day of cross country skiing and lunch.

The day started with Jocelyn Gorlin, Nurse Practitioner from Children’s giving a brief presentation and demonstration/instruction on cross-country skiing. Cheryl Hansen, Physical Therapist from Children’s lead some group stretches and then everyone headed out with their rented skis to try skiing. The weather was perfect and everyone had a great time skiing.

After skiing for an hour the group met back in the chalet for lunch, a presentation and Q & A session with Dr. Margaret Heisel Kurth.

Thanks to everyone who attended the event!