Anxiety related to medical procedures can cause delays and nonadherence to protocols among pediatric patients, and for good reason. These procedures involve outsized equipment and unfamiliar environments.

Carolyn Schneiders Fung, director of national programs at Hope for Henry, an organization dedicated to improving the hospital experience for children facing serious illness, explained nonadherence is cause for serious concern in any medical setting, with unique challenges in pediatrics.

"A child who refuses to cooperate with their doctor-prescribed care risks additional complications that can have negative effects that range from discomfort to life-threatening," said Fung, who will speak on the topic on Thursday at HIMSS21.

She said these complications can lead to lengthier hospital stays and increased costs to patient families, insurers, and hospitals.

"Beyond the adverse effects to the patient's health, delays in treatment cause disruption to other patients waiting for care and to the medical practitioners and institutions devoted to providing timely, effective care for all their patients," Fung said.

She explained that from a medical perspective, procedures can be completed more efficiently and in more cost effective ways. For example, Hope for Henry's Super Rewards for Super Kids is enabling children to complete MRIs without sedation.

This prevents any negative effects from the medication, and it means that the procedure can be completed in approximately one-quarter of the time. The lack of need for a pediatric anesthesiologist, combined with the reduced need for medical intervention, saves an average of $3,000 for each procedure.

"For the young patient, there are benefits, in particular a reduction in anticipatory anxiety, associated with being informed about what is going to happen to them," Fung explained.

"The acknowledgement that what they are doing is challenging and therefore deserving of a reward makes them feel competent, strong and less alone. As a result, participating patients report an improved overall experience and a greater positive association with their medical care, resulting in improved adherence with future medical interventions."

She also noted eDOT technology has the potential to streamline and automate adherence-based programming.

"Proactively informing patients about the benefits of inhaler use and other prescriptions, physical therapy, attending appointments and other prescribed treatment recommendations will inevitably increase their knowledge about and sense of control and comfort with their treatment," she said. "eDOT technology also can allow for creativity on the part of the patient, further encouraging a healthy attitude towards subsequent hospital stays."

Carolyn Schneiders Fung will share more of her thoughts at HIMSS21, in a session titled "More Than Medicine: Improving Pediatric Adherence." It's scheduled for Thursday, August 12, 10-11 a.m. in Venetian San Polo 3404.

Nathan Eddy is a healthcare and technology freelancer based in Berlin.
Email the writer: nathaneddy@gmail.com
Twitter: @dropdeaded209