Kristin Ferguson, RN, a pediatric emergency medicine nurse at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, likes to meet her young patients even before they are transferred to the Emergency Center for treatment.
On a recent day, she sat in front of a computer, punched a few keys, and came face-to-face with a little girl who would be arriving within the hour for care.
“Hi, sweetie, I’m Kristin. I’ll be your nurse when you arrive at the Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person, and taking care of you!” She then took a few minutes to explain to the girl and her mother what to expect when they arrived at Wolfson Children’s Hospital in San Marco.
About 170 kids come into the ER each day to be treated for a variety of illnesses and injuries. Some come in directly but others require transfer from one of the several Baptist/Wolfson Children’s freestanding ERs in the area for further treatment and hospitalization. But amidst the sounds of gurney wheels whirring down hallways and caregivers discussing cases, nurses like Kristin still make the time to connect online with these young patients. After all, whether you’re an adult or a child, going to the ER can be a little bit scary.
A friendly face on the computer screen makes the trip a little less daunting, said Andrew Mcginty, RN, MSN, nurse manager of the Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center and transport team. It has other benefits as well.
“We’ve heard from families how satisfying it is for them because meeting the nurse ahead of time allays many fears and natural worries involved in the hospitalization process,” Mcginty said.
The meet-and-greet between nurses, patients, and their families is made possible through telehealth technology. The system allows doctors, nurses, pediatric pharmacists and imaging specialists to communicate in real time between the main Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center in San Marco and the Baptist/Wolfson Children’s freestanding emergency centers at Town Center, Baptist Clay and Baptist North.
“Seeing that familiar face is really important, so these introductions are important in the transfer process,” said Karen Wilson, RN, nurse manager of Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center at Baptist North, which opened in September on Dunn Avenue at I-295. It also gives parents a chance to ask questions about where to park, and the logistics of navigating to the hospital.
The technology also reaches into the ERs of Baptist Health’s Coastal Community Health partners Flagler Hospital and Southeast Georgia Health System, benefitting patients from St. Augustine to Brunswick, Georgia. Telehealth makes the hospital experience more kid-friendly, but there are medical benefits as well, Mcginty said.
“Using this telemedicine video monitor is a great way for our nurses to communicate about a patient coming in from one of our outlying ERs,” he said. “It allows us to see the patients, which is important because visual assessment is key in our pediatric emergency department. We can learn a lot from a patient’s appearance.”
Computers, smartphones, and apps are second nature to most of these children, even more so than for their parents, who may still remember what life was like without any of it.
“This meet-and-greet program is right in line with our whole family-centered care model,” said Candice Ramesar, MHA, BSN, RN, NEA-BC, Regional Director for pediatric emergency services and our adult and pediatric freestanding ERs for Baptist/Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
“Kids need their families when they are sick or being hospitalized, and families need to see that their kids are being well cared for,” she said. “It can cause a lot of anxiety for parents when they are told their child needs to be hospitalized, so we just want to help alieve their fears and concern as much as we can. This part of the process eases them both.”
Your Child’s Very Own ER
Where you take your child in an emergency matters, and now we’ve made it more convenient than ever to access the care provided by the Wolfson Children’s team that specializes in pediatric emergency medicine, backed by the resources of one of America’s most top-rated hospitals.
In addition to our main Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center, we have three stand-alone ERs in Clay County, Town Center and at Baptist North off of Dunn Avenue at I-295. These centers are designed to bring you the best pediatric emergency care while reducing wait times. For more information about our emergency centers, including where they are located and directions, please visit wolfsonchildrens.org/er.
