G122(P) Improving the experience of hospital admissions for paediatric patients with complex or special needs through introduction of an ‘all about me’ information (p)

Background Our hospital has large numbers of paediatric admissions for patients with complex health challenges or special needs. Admissions to hospital are stressful for children and their parents, even more so if the child has additional communication difficulties or specific care regimens. Aims To introduce a tool to improve care and experiences of children with added needs who are admitted to our ward. Methods We surveyed families of children with additional needs to find out how they felt about our current level of care and how we could improve it. We also asked their opinions about the idea of introducing an ‘All about me’ information (P) and about creating picture cards of medical equipment they have at home. Based on the responses we created an ‘All About Me’ (P) with categories of helpful information that respondents said they would like to be displayed by their child’s bedside. Information includes likes, dislikes, difficulties and means of communication. We presented the (P) to paediatric staff who gave globally positive verbal feedback. Subsequently the (P)s were introduced with the help of the multidisciplinary team. Suitable patients are identified on admission to the ward and the (P)s completed by them and their families with assistance from the play specialists and translators if necessary. Results We received 18 completed surveys from families, the responses of which led to the design of the ‘All about me’ (P). When parents were asked if they felt that hospital staff made accommodations for their child’s needs in order to make their admission easier they responded: Rarely 1 Sometimes 7 Regularly 5 Always 4 No reply 1 When asked if staff interact and communicate with their child appropriately replies were as follows: Never 1 Sometimes 2 Regularly 8 Always 6 No reply 1 16/18 felt that their children would benefit from an ‘All About Me’ (P) Conclusions The results clearly demonstrate a need for improvement in our care of children with special needs and their families. Surveyed parents felt that a (P) with information about their child would be helpful as would picture cards of medical equipment. Staff responded positively to the (P)s we produced and they are currently in use on our general paediatric ward.