Wednesday, October 25, 2000
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Wednesday, October 25, 2000 |
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SRMC pediatric team offers unique attentive care to children and parents to ease anxiety The pediatric team at Southern Regional Medical Center adds a personal touch to the care provided to children scheduled for surgery there. The hospital has a unique policy that allows one parent to accompany a child into the operating room until the anesthesia takes effect. Parents are given prior information about the early stages of anesthesia to eliminate their anxiety, which in turn helps them relieve their child's fears. The anesthesia team also strives to sedate the children without using needles as often as possible by having them breathe anesthesia through a special mask, scented with flavors like bubble gum, watermelon or cherry. "Children have completely different anesthesia requirements than adults," explains pediatric anesthesiologist Marcus Polk, M.D. "We understand those needs so we are able to provide the most age-appropriate care, which means maximum safety and comfort for each child." In cases that require regional anesthesia, Dr. Polk and associate Heide Rice, M.D., administer a caudal block, which is used to provide pain relief for surgical procedures involving the groin or other lower extremities. The caudal block is similar to an epidural, and it provides effective pain relief while reducing the need for other types of anesthesia. Southern Regional also has an excellent preoperative program that gives parents and children a complete explanation of what to expect before surgery and provides preassessment exams away from the hospital. Pediatric resource nurse Libby Reeves, R.N., makes several weekly visits to participating physicians' offices to meet with parents to explain the surgical process and perform the preoperative assessments of the children. She also conducts a phone contact program for the kids she is not able to visit and is usually the nurse who prepares them for surgery when they arrive at the hospital. "Being familiar with the people involved and the surroundings, as well as understanding what is going to happen during surgery, helps ease anxiety," says Reeves. A more extensive orientation program is also offered on Saturdays at Southern Regional's Ambulatory Surgery Center, where children and parents are treated to a personal tour of the outpatient surgery center and a video that explains what to expect before, during and after surgery. Southern Regional Health System provides comprehensive health resources including Southern Regional Medical Center, a 410-bed, full-service hospital in Riverdale featuring a state-of-the-art outpatient surgery center, a women's center and one of the busiest emergency departments in the state; RiverWoods, Southern Regional Psychiatric Center, a psychiatric facility with a complete continuum of behavioral care services; Southern Regional Homecare, a home health agency providing home health services and home medical equipment; and Surgery Center at Mt. Zion, a multi-specialty surgery center in Morrow.
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