The Royal Children’s Hospital has introduced Australia’s first on-line personal patient record, BetterDiabetes.com for children and adolescents with diabetes. Launched at the hospital on Wednesday 16th July as part of National Diabetes Week, BetterDiabetes will enhance the care of patients with Type 1 diabetes by enabling patients to take responsibility for their own medical records. BetterDiabetes is … Continued

16 July 2003.

Families visiting Royal Children’s Hospital now have a brand new space to call their own. The hospital’s new Family Resource Centre was officially opened by Minister for Health The Hon Bronwyn Pike MP on Wednesday 18th June. The centre is a bright comfortable and inviting space where parents can share lunch with family and friends, … Continued

18 June 2003.

Clinicians at Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital are supporting the Meningitis Centre in their efforts to raise awareness of the dangers of this disease and encourage funding of a pneumococcal vaccine for all infants under 2 years of age. Meningitis is an inflammation of the outer covering of the brain and spinal cord. It is a … Continued

16 June 2003.

Plastic surgeon Mr. Chris Coombs performed a world first procedure at Royal Children’s Hospital by using a little boy’s ‘extra’ finger as a spare part on his other hand. Timothy Hristodoulou, now four years old, was born with hand deformities.  Tim’s parents Sandra and George knew from prenatal tests that he would be born with … Continued

8 April 2003.

Parliamentary Secretary for Health, Daniel Andrews will attend Debney Meadows Primary School in Flemnington on April 1st to launch the ‘Festival for Healthy Living Step by Step Guide For Schools’. Mr Andrews will join principal Ms Terese Heally, staff and students from Debney Meadows, and staff from Royal Children’s Hospital Mental Health Service to celebrate … Continued

1 April 2003.

Royal Children’s Hospital is the first hospital in Australia to trial home monitoring for children and young people taking warfarin, a blood thinning medication.  Approximately eighty RCH patients, aged from 1 – 22 years of age are taking warfarin and most of them will take the drug for the rest of their lives.  The majority … Continued

20 March 2003.

Children with leukaemia and other cancers at Royal Children’s Hospital are being soothed during medical procedures with specially selected music played by Australia’s leading cello duo and recorded in a 115 year old school chapel in Melbourne. Cello Lullaby was devised by the hospital’s Dr Catherine Crock and recorded to CD, and will be available … Continued

13 March 2003.

A neonatal expert at Royal Children’s Hospital in Melbourne has developed an alternative way to treat meconium aspiration, a problem that occurs in newborn babies.  A newborn baby at RCH is the first in Australia to undergo this new treatment. Meconium is a black sticky material that comes from the fetal intestine.  It is normally … Continued

5 March 2003.

A new research study to investigate the benefits of music therapy in newborns has begun. The study is being conducted by the Music Therapy Unit at the Royal Children’s Hospital, researchers at the University of Western Sydney and other research partners*. The three year study will seek to determine whether music therapy can help sick … Continued

24 February 2003.

Royal Children’s Hospital has introduced a new way of helping children and young people with diabetes to monitor their blood glucose levels. RCH is the first hospital in Australia to use the continuous glucose monitoring system (CGMS) in routine clinical care.  The CGMS checks blood glucose levels every 30-seconds and stores the information to memory.  … Continued

31 January 2003.