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The role of child life in pediatric radiology
Susan L Kinnebrew1, Carrie G Dove1, Carrie M Midwin1
1Child Life Department, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
Insights
Certified child life specialists enhance pediatric radiology by improving patient experience and safety. Their interventions reduce anesthesia needs, shorten procedure times, and boost departmental efficiency.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Radiology
- Child Life Services
Background:
- Pediatric radiology departments require multidisciplinary teams for optimal patient care.
- Certified child life specialists are integral to these teams, focusing on patient and family experience.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the critical role of child life specialists in pediatric radiology.
- To demonstrate the impact of child life services on patient safety, satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
Main Methods:
- The article discusses the functions and contributions of child life specialists within pediatric radiology settings.
- Examples illustrate the practical application of child life interventions in radiology exams.
Main Results:
- Child life specialists improve patient and family experiences.
- Interventions decrease the need for general anesthesia through pain management and coping techniques.
- Child life services enhance patient safety, departmental efficiency, and imaging quality, reducing procedure times.
Conclusions:
- Child life specialists are essential for optimizing pediatric radiology services.
- Their involvement positively affects patient safety, satisfaction, and operational outcomes.
- Integrating child life services leads to improved healthcare delivery in pediatric radiology.
Abstract:
Pediatric radiology departments rely heavily on a dedicated, efficient and collaborative multi-disciplinary health care team to provide efficient service and quality care to patients and families. Certified child life specialists are an essential part of this multi-disciplinary team. The main goal of the child life specialists is to improve the overall experience for patients and families. In addition, child life specialists, working in collaboration with the medical care team, help decrease the need for general anesthesia by providing patient pain management, distraction and coping techniques. These interventions result in improved patient safety, increased departmental efficiency and increased revenue. The role of child life specialists extends into the exam room, where their interventions help decrease procedure times and improve imaging quality. In this article, the authors discuss the key role of child life specialists in a pediatric radiology department and provide examples of how child life can impact patient safety, patient and family satisfaction, and operational efficiency.
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