Complex pediatric feeding disorders: using teleconferencing technology to improve access to a treatment program
Betsy Clawson1, Martha Selden, Mandy Lacks
1Children's Hospital, Richmond, VA, USA.
Insights
Teleconferencing successfully connected children with complex feeding disorders to specialized care, improving outcomes and satisfaction for families and providers, even across long distances.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Telemedicine
- Clinical Nutrition
Background:
- Feeding difficulties impact a significant portion of children, particularly those with special needs.
- Community health providers face challenges managing complex pediatric feeding disorders.
- Severe cases often involve feeding tubes and persistent growth issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of video teleconferencing for children with complex feeding disorders.
- To assess the impact of remote specialized care on patient and family outcomes.
- To report findings from a pilot project involving geographically dispersed patients.
Main Methods:
- A 26-month pilot project (September 2002 - October 2004) involving 15 pediatric patients.
- Utilized video teleconferencing to connect patients with specialized providers.
- Collected data on family satisfaction, costs, provider satisfaction, and clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Video teleconferencing facilitated comprehensive treatment for children with complex feeding disorders.
- The intervention demonstrated positive impacts on family and provider satisfaction.
- Clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness were assessed for remote care delivery.
Conclusions:
- Teleconferencing offers a viable solution for delivering specialized care to children with feeding difficulties.
- Remote consultations enhance communication and treatment for complex pediatric feeding issues.
- This approach improves access to care for patients in remote locations.
Abstract:
Feeding difficulties are one of the most commonly occurring issues in pediatric care, affecting approximately a quarter of typically developing children and up to 90% of children with special needs. Community health care professionals often struggle to adequately address the complex problems of children with more complicated feeding disorders. For the most severely affected of these children, feeding tubes and poor growth are ongoing challenges. To provide quality care, video teleconferencing with specialized providers offers outstanding opportunities for comprehensive treatment and communication to enhance long-term outcomes. This article provides results of a teleconferencing pilot project addressing the needs of children with complex feeding disorders referred from locations up to 3,500 miles away. Fifteen patients participated in the 26-month project from September 2002 to October 2004. The impact of the intervention on family satisfaction, costs to family, provider satisfaction, and clinical outcomes is also reported.
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