Vulnerable children in Australia: A human rights perspective

Gillian will speak about the human rights of children established by international treaties and their application to the detention of children in immigration detention and juvenile detention, and the growing numbers of children in ‘out of home’ care, especially indigenous children.

Conflict! Easy to recognise, challenging to resolve

Conflict is virtually inevitable in healthcare. Providers with widely diverse training and perspectives must collaborate interdependently to care for children and their families whose needs‚ beliefs and goals can likewise vary widely. Conflict can lead to adverse outcomes‚ patient dissatisfaction‚ and provider burnout. Whether as momentous as disputes over end-of-life, or as mundane as allocation of work responsibilities, conflicts often worsen over time as communication breaks down and people become entrenched in their positions. This Grand Round will discuss the importance of conflict resolution and introduce a “toolkit” of practical conflict resolution skills and strategies. 

“EMR – one year on”

On April 30th the RCH Electronic Medical Record will have been in use for 12 months. It has been one of the biggest practice changes in the hospital’s history.

Renal Genetics From bedside to bench and back again

Although individually rare, there are many inherited and tubular disorders of the kidney affecting children and adults. This talk will offer a bedside-to-bench-and-back overview of some of the clinical issues facing patients with rare kidney disorders, together with our genetic and cell biological discoveries concerning the C-terminal tails of individual proteins, and why they are so important in ensuring normal renal tubular function.

Leaving the cocoon – Helping young people with intellectual disabilities, autism and associated mental health problems move into the adult world

Synopsis In Australia, over 40% of children with intellectual disability (ID) and/or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have mental health problems requiring long term psychiatric care. However access to such treatment is inadequate, particularly in adult services. This impacts upon timely transition from the RCH and has the potential to create longer-term negative impacts on the health … Continued

Cognitive computing and disruptive innovation

Advances in cognitive computing are redefining human work. After IBM’s Supercomputer Watson crushed human champions at the quiz show Jeopardy, IBM turned to making Watson the world’s best oncologist. Will the next generation Watson replace clinicians altogether, or will we be protected by our unique combination of cognitive and physical skills?

The Victorian Commission for Children and Young People

Ten months into her term as Commissioner of Children and Young People, Liana Buchanan will reflect on the issues affecting children and young people, and discuss some of the Commission’s current projects and priorities.

Domestic and Family Violence: Early intervention in paediatric settings is urgently needed, and the role of health-justice partnerships

This Grand Round explores the role of health professionals in family violence identification and response.
Professor Kelsey Hegarty will discuss how the consequences of family violence are commonly seen in health care settings, and the high intersection of domestic violence and child abuse means that paediatric and women’s health settings have a major role to play in early intervention. Ms Linda Gyorki will talk about how legal problems can have a detrimental impact on health and wellbeing.

Is it ethical to sterilise an adolescent with an intellectual disability?

In a recent case in the US, a mother requested a vasectomy for her 13 year old son. He has autism and intellectual disability, and functions at the level of 4-5 year old. He had starting talking about getting married and having children, and she was concerned to make sure that he could never father a child. We will discuss this case, in the context of the wider ethical debate about sterilisation of children and young people, mostly young women, with intellectual disability. Concepts of bodily integrity, dignity and human rights meet with the practicalities of life for a young person with ID and their parents and carers.

New blood management guidelines for neonatal and paediatric patients

The decision on whether to transfuse a neonate or child can be complex. You need to carefully consider specific patient circumstances, clinical condition, response to previous transfusion and the full range of other available treatments, balancing the evidence for efficacy and improved clinical outcome against the potential risk. There are new guidelines for blood transfusions.