Health IT, Hospitals

Stanford Children’s Health CMIO on utilizing tech in a pediatric setting

Stanford Children's Health CMIO Natalie Pageler described how the organization is doing everything from using VR to putting multiple screens in a patient room to cater to the needs of kids and their families.

hand touching visual screen

Implementing the right technology at a hospital or health system is challenging in and of itself. But what about when it’s a children’s hospital?

In a phone interview, Stanford Children’s Health Chief Medical Information Officer Natalie Pageler described how her organization approaches tech and patient care.

“There are definitely different considerations when you’re dealing with a pediatric population,” she said. For instance, a non-pediatric hospital typically focuses solely on the patient’s needs. But at a children’s hospital, kids are staying with their families, meaning the hospital must cater to both the patient and his or her caregivers.

Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford is the epicenter of Stanford Children’s Health. It opened its new main building last December. Pageler touched on a number of features of the modern space that address the needs of children and their families.

For one, the rooms are equipped with a patient bed as well as a foldout bed that can sleep up to two people, thereby making it easier for parents or family members to be near the child.

Additionally, each new room contains a large screen TV as well as a smaller, separate screen, meaning the patient can watch a movie while the parents can view educational materials. Every room holds an iPad as well, which patients can take with them throughout the hospital, Pageler said.

Another tool enables staff members to scan their badge every time they enter a patient’s room. Their identification information will show up on the screen, alerting the patient that someone has entered.

“We also integrated several cutting-edge clinical technologies into the expansion,” Pageler said. For instance, the hospital’s imaging center includes a PET/MRI scanner.

On a larger scale, Pageler also highlighted some of the broad tech-related work the organization has been up to.

“Some other cool technology specifically for kids is our virtual reality work,” she said. Through its Childhood Anxiety Reduction through Innovation and Technology (CHARIOT) program, the hospital utilizes VR to help distract and entertain children who are preparing for procedures.

“We’ve developed our virtual visit program and have had some tremendous early wins,” Pageler said. Through the program, the organization has assisted patients who live hours away, thereby saving families from a drive to the hospital. Pageler also mentioned how an endocrinologist was able to use a video visit to talk to a mother, child and the school nurse at the child’s school.

Additionally, the hospital is exploring how to apply data analytics and do more with home monitoring.

Photo: shylendrahoode, Getty Images

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