20 min
Happy Heart Clinic | Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service Clinical Excellence Stories
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- Medicina
Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is an entirely preventable disease affecting the delicate valves of the heart. While it has been eradicated in the majority of the Australian population for over six decades, it is sadly still prevalent in our First Nations’ communities. Once a person has developed Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) or RHD, they require a painful monthly injection until they are 21 years of age or for 10 years to avoid ARF recurrence or further damage to the heart.
While their peers are out playing at the park, drawing or visiting the far-flung worlds of their imagination, this group of children face the fear and trauma of visiting a large sterile building to receive life-saving needles. And not just any needle, a very big, very painful needle.
The consequences of not getting their regular LA Bicillin injections are dire, with the medication helping maintain heart health and prevent possible open-heart surgery or even death.
Knowing the importance of getting things right from the start Clinical Nurse Consultant Erin Ferguson saw the importance of engaging these children and involving them in their care. Instead of being restrained or having clinicians become frustrated when they were scared, children didn’t care if the person was good at giving needles, they just wanted clinicians to be nice and for their voice to be heard.
In partnership with paediatric cardiologist Dr Ben Reeves, Erin extensively partnered with consumers to design a model that now helps children choose how they want to receive the injection and how best to distract them. But make no mistake, kindness is key!
Not only has the service drastically improved attendance rates, but it is also building an empowered group of health consumers into the future. And keeping them happy and healthy children in the meantime.
This is the story of Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service's Happy Heart Clinic.
Links
Information about RHD
Queensland Health's Ending RHD strategy
Happy Heart Clinic Improvement Exchange listing.
Social media
To continue the conversation, follow us on social media:
Facebook @ClinicalExcellenceQueensland
Instagram @ClinExcelQld
Twitter @ClinExcelQld
Rheumatic Heart Disease (RHD) is an entirely preventable disease affecting the delicate valves of the heart. While it has been eradicated in the majority of the Australian population for over six decades, it is sadly still prevalent in our First Nations’ communities. Once a person has developed Acute Rheumatic Fever (ARF) or RHD, they require a painful monthly injection until they are 21 years of age or for 10 years to avoid ARF recurrence or further damage to the heart.
While their peers are out playing at the park, drawing or visiting the far-flung worlds of their imagination, this group of children face the fear and trauma of visiting a large sterile building to receive life-saving needles. And not just any needle, a very big, very painful needle.
The consequences of not getting their regular LA Bicillin injections are dire, with the medication helping maintain heart health and prevent possible open-heart surgery or even death.
Knowing the importance of getting things right from the start Clinical Nurse Consultant Erin Ferguson saw the importance of engaging these children and involving them in their care. Instead of being restrained or having clinicians become frustrated when they were scared, children didn’t care if the person was good at giving needles, they just wanted clinicians to be nice and for their voice to be heard.
In partnership with paediatric cardiologist Dr Ben Reeves, Erin extensively partnered with consumers to design a model that now helps children choose how they want to receive the injection and how best to distract them. But make no mistake, kindness is key!
Not only has the service drastically improved attendance rates, but it is also building an empowered group of health consumers into the future. And keeping them happy and healthy children in the meantime.
This is the story of Cairns and Hinterland Hospital and Health Service's Happy Heart Clinic.
Links
Information about RHD
Queensland Health's Ending RHD strategy
Happy Heart Clinic Improvement Exchange listing.
Social media
To continue the conversation, follow us on social media:
Facebook @ClinicalExcellenceQueensland
Instagram @ClinExcelQld
Twitter @ClinExcelQld
20 min