Tip of the month: Your ED can create a ‘pedi-corner’ for kids
TIP OF THE MONTH
Your ED can create a pedi-corner’ for kids
Create a designated "pedi-corner" to store all of your pediatric resource materials, recommends Wrennah L. Gabbert, RN, MSN, CPNP, CFNP, education coordinator for emergency services at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, TX.
This ensures that materials are easily accessible with 24-hour access, she says. The pedi-corner consists of the following:
• a shelf with several current, user-friendly nursing and medical pediatric textbooks, such as a pediatric specific dermatology text;
• a file cabinet drawer with developmental assessment forms such as standardized height, weight, and head circumference documentation forms; vaccine information sheets; and age-specific health promotion and education materials in well-marked file folders;
• a three-ring binder with original copies of all the forms available in the file cabinet drawer, current immunization guidelines, and an up-to-date list of in-house and external pediatric referral and support systems with appropriate beeper numbers, telephone extensions, and contact information.
"We found our brightly colored, inexpensive 7three-ring binder and clear plastic page protectors were essential to help catalog, update, and organize our written materials," says Gabbert. "Additionally, the page protectors kept splatters and spills from ruining our resources."
Barney, a big brown bear with a crooked grin, sits on top of the file cabinet and "keeps watch" over the pedi-corner, says Gabbert. "He also serves as an easily identifiable landmark for clinic personnel, especially new or part-time employees," she adds.
Initially, posters were used as an inexpensive way to add color and a distinctive "kid-friendly" appearance to the wall behind the pedi-corner, Gabbert says. "Later, we were able to get a large bulletin board mounted so we could post seasonal safety and health promotion messages," she notes. "Frequently, we found our patients and their parents lingering to get a close look at our corner wall and read the latest message."
By storing all pediatric resources in one designated area, less time is spent searching for equipment or information, says Gabbert. "That leaves you with more time to discuss age-specific health promotion and educational materials with our young patients and their families," she adds.
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