43
New look in care for kids
Photo
Tiana Aurilio, a patient at Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley in Boardman, checks a room in the radiology department decorated with new colorful graphics designed to put young patients more at ease.
BOARDMAN
Tiana’s eyes lit up when she saw the huge fish on the walls of her examination room in the Radiology Department at Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.
Autistic and mostly nonverbal, Tiana, 7, nevertheless clearly communicated her pleasure with radiology’s new look, said her mother, Sandy Aurilio of Niles.
Mission accomplished — as far as the hospital is concerned.
The purpose of the new kid-friendly decor is to sooth and distract patients and their parents from what can be a frightening experience, said Sandy Scott of Niles, radiology manager.
“Tiana’s comfortable here. She knows it’s a good thing,” said Aurilio, who works in outpatient registration at the children’s hospital in Boardman.
A huge hot-air balloon and grazing deer and other critters dominate the lobby wall, and an examination room for older children is decorated with stars and planets.
“It’s very soothing ... very nice to come in and see,” said Beth Stewart of East Palestine, sitting in the lobby with her son, Michael.
A portable X-ray machine looks like a firetruck, and the children get to wear plastic toy fire hats courtesy of the Vienna Township Volunteer Fire Department, when being X-rayed.
Though the new look is pleasing to the eye, the guts of the $586,586 update is new equipment and computer software.
The entire project to create a more efficient and child-friendly environment was paid for primarily with part of a recent $1 million donation from the Kikel Charitable Trust, an estate plan created by area sisters, Josephine, Angela and Jenny Kikel, to support pediatric health care in the Mahoning Valley, said Sharon Hrina, vice president of Akron Children’s Hospital Mahoning Valley.
The new imaging equipment in the nuclear department helps children and staff in a couple of ways.
“When I slide them in and the machine revolves to take pictures, the kids see a fish looking at them. It doesn’t look so much like a scary piece of medical equipment,” said Jennifer Lohry, board-certified nuclear-MRI technologist.
Also, the nuclear machine cuts scan time in half from the equipment it replaced, meaning the children have to remain still for shorter times. They are more comfortable and less fidgety, making it easier to get good pictures without sedation, she said.
When all else fails, Lohry sings to distract her patients.
A transcranial Doppler, another new piece of equipment, plays an important role in the hospital’s sickle-cell screening program.
The technology uses an ultrasound probe to examine blood vessels and the anatomy in the brain, which is instrumental in the detection of sickle-cell patients at risk for strokes, Scott said.
And an MRI-compatible general-anesthesia machine enables technicians to service patients who previously were transported to the Akron campus for MRI examinations, she said.
Also, the hospital has begun installation of a digital radiographic procedure room and 16-slice CT scanning equipment, both of which allow for faster positioning and imaging of young patients and are equipped with low-dose imaging technology.
The 16-slice scanning equipment also simultaneously permits radiologists to evaluate multiple images of the body at various angles up to eight times faster than previous technology.
The radiology department also is undergoing a major software upgrade that enables the staff to collect and analyze images from outside medical facilities, eliminating the need to perform repeat examinations, said Hrina.
“The upgrades in radiology are much more than simple changes. They signify that we are developing and implementing ways to improve the lives of local families ... by providing the world-class treatment and medical care our patients deserve,” she said.