The kidney transplantation program at RCH has a rich history and has contributed in significant ways to improving outcomes for children with kidney failure for over 50 years. Major changes have taken place in the last two years leading to a new collaboration with the Austin Hospital, a record-breaking year for transplants in 2014 and a world-first innovation to prevent sensitisation in paediatric transplant recipients
It is less than a year until the RCH Epic EMR “goes live”. The transition to a proper electronic record with an extensive suite of functionality will mean many changes in the way we work. These changes will be bigger than those we experienced in the move to the new hospital. The EMR represents a great opportunity to improve the care we deliver and our ability to support research. It is a major investment and obviously we want to use it well.
School participation is vital for children with disabilities. We will describe the current situation for students with a disability who attend their local school in Victoria. Background and challenges that students, families and schools currently experience will be discussed. Findings from research that involved a study of students, teachers, parents, principals and allied health professionals will be presented to highlight supports, services, and strategies that enabled students with cerebral palsy to experience success at school.
Many gains have been made in treating hemiplegic cerebral palsy in recent years. These include a better understanding of diagnosis, imaging, risk factors and treatments.
Digital health is an umbrella term for the application of ICT and technology in healthcare, incorporating mobile health apps, wearable technologies such as the fitbit and Google glass, web-based research and clinical decision support tools, and the re-purposing of gaming technologies, such as the Xbox kinect, for health applications.
ChIPS the RCH Chronic Illness Peer Support program, is twenty one years old this year. Managed by the Centre for Adolescent Health, ChIPS brings young people together to share their experiences of chronic illness, create peer support networks and engage in activities that they may not get a chance to do otherwise. The program uses both Youth Participation and Peer Support models.
The Australia and New Zealand Fontan Registry is the largest database of patients born with a single heart pumping chamber. The Fontan Registry has already allowed us to demonstrate that survival is far better than expected.
Hypospadias is a common malformation in boys with potential long-term consequences. Despite better understanding of the malformation and refinement of surgery, the results can remain unsatisfactory, especially in proximal hypospadias. Prof Martin Koyle will present the journey of an experienced pediatric urologist involved in surgical correction and follow-up of patients with hypospadias.
Australian patients with low English proficiency are considerably disadvantaged compared to patients who are fluent in English; they stay in hospital longer, have higher readmission rates, and undergo more diagnostic tests. When these patients also have a disability or a mental health condition, the divide is even greater. ‘Diversity’ in the health context mainly translates to ‘disadvantage’ and inequality; this Grand Round will argue that we need to change the perception of ‘diversity’ as a problem, and embrace it as a solution.
To secure Australia’s health and economy into the future, the talents of women in science are vital. In biology, over half of all Bachelor of Science and PhD graduates are women, yet there is only one in ten women at the senior levels of our universities and research institutes
