What communication do you have with other care providers?

We have very close communication. The child’s pediatrician is informed every time the patient is seen. We communicate the plan, what we’re doing, adjustments to medication, adjustments to catheter size, whatever it may be. Our social worker and nurse in Spina Bifida and our nurses here in Urology work very closely with school nurses. Most of them can catheterize, and we help those that cannot. Rosemary Grant went out to a school two weeks ago to teach a school nurse how to catheterize. We are absolutely committed to providing the services needed for each particular family to allow the extended caregivers to be able do this for the child, whomever it may be.

Carlos Estrada, MD, Myelodysplasia Program, Department of Urology

 

We work collectively on complex children. Sometimes medications that are prescribed by another physician might affect bladder function; we would discuss that with that particular physician. If we ever feel that a certain urological need might be best met by a new medication or a surgical procedure, we would certainly make that known to all the other team players involved in that complex child’s care. We first make sure the plan is agreeable to them, and ask whether they have any other recommendations before we proceed. We try as best we can to work very closely with the entire team.

Joseph Borer, MD, Department of Urology

 

We do a lot of education in the community, like with the primary care providers. We talk about overtreatment of UTIs all the time and how you may not need to get antibiotics every time. Families go away with mixed messages, because they are come to the specialty clinic and get the information we want them to have, but then the PCPs say, “I’m not so sure!” So we do a lot of exchange of information.

Rebecca Sherlock, PNP, Clinical Coordinator, Myelodysplasia Program

 

We work closely with school nurses. We’ve done team meetings in person, we’ve brought people to the hospital. We’re all about educating and supporting each other as nursing colleagues, so our doors are always open if somebody wants to come in and learn, or if they need some extra support to do the procedure and feel comfortable with it. We’re always available to teach other nurses.

Rosemary Grant, RN, Nurse