What you can do to keep your child safe

The clear and timely flow of information between you and care provider is often the key to safe, high quality care.

• Tell us about your child so that we can get to know him, including his medical history, medications, fears and behaviors.
• Everyone at Akron Children’s who cares for your child will be wearing an identification badge. Ask to see a badge if it’s not visible.
• Everyone who cares for your child should tell you their name and role. Be sure to tell staff members what you would like to be called. If your child is an inpatient, you can keep track of who is caring for her by writing each care provider’s name in the All About Me patient stay journal from your welcome folder.
• Ask questions and have answers explained to you in a way you can understand. This includes interpretation and translation, free of charge, in a language you prefer. This also includes giving you the needed help if you have vision, speech, hearing or cognitive concerns.
• If your child is an inpatient, write down information in your All About Me patient stay journal, including questions you want to ask your care providers, medicine names and amounts, test results, and other tips and information from your care providers.
• Be present and help comfort and calm your child during stressful tests and procedures. Let us know what works best for your child when he is scared.

From over-the-counter medications to prescriptions, herbs, vitamins and more, knowing what your child is taking and when he is taking it will help prevent any potentially-harmful interactions.

• Provide a written list of your child’s current medications. Include prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and herbs. Be sure to include how much, how often and how she takes them. Try to know the brand name and generic name for each medication.
• Speak up if you don’t recognize a medication or amount we are using.
• Tell us about allergies or bad reactions your child has had to current or previous medications before we give a new medication.
• Check with your care provider if your child takes a medicine at home that he has not been given at the hospital.
• When your child is released from the hospital, please feel free to ask us about the medications he will be taking at home. Make sure you understand which medications to take, how often and when.

An injured or ill child will often have a weakened immune system, making it critical for you to be in good health and wash their hands frequently.

• Make sure we wash our hands and wear clean gloves when we take blood, touch wounds or examine your child.
• Wash your hands or use hand-sanitizer gel each time you enter and leave your child's room.
• Wash your hands after sneezing, coughing, blowing your nose, wiping your child's nose, changing a diaper, going to the restroom, helping your child use the restroom, or using your cell phone.
• If your child has had surgery, always wash your hands before and after caring for the wound.
• Watch for symptoms of infection, including redness and pain at the wound, drainage or a fever. Let your care provider know if you notice any of these changes in your child.
• Ask family and friends who are ill not to visit your child until they are well.
• If your child is scheduled for surgery, be sure to follow the pre-surgery washing directions.

A quick scan of your child’s hospital room or a couple questions for her nurse could help lessen or eliminate the risk of falls.

• Patients are at increased risk for falling if they don’t feel well or are tired; they are attached to equipment, lines, and tubes; or they are in places that are unfamiliar and stressful.
• If your child is in a crib, keep bed side rails in a fully-raised and locked position; never leave when side rails are down; notify your nurse if she can climb over the side rail.
• Place your child in his crib when you are tired or planning to sleep; please do not sleep with her in your chair or bed; stay with him when he is in a high chair or on play equipment.
• For school age, older children, or adults, keep the bed in a low position; use the bedrails; keep items she’ll need within reach, including the call light, water glass, TV/game controls and phones; request an enclosed bed if he has special needs
• Let us help you move your child from bed, chairs and wheelchairs; fix lines, tubes, and equipment; get devices that could be helpful (shower chair, bedside commode). Do not disconnect equipment without help and do not move equipment and the patient at the same time.
• Tell us when your child will be alone in the room; if a small light is needed to help see; if adult supervision is needed outside the room; or if a way to the bathroom or doorway is not clear.

You may be the first person to notice a sudden change in your child’s condition. Akron Children provides a Medical Response Team (MRT) to offer additional assessment and treatment, if needed.

• Use the call light to contact your nurse and/or doc tor for an assessment and to discuss the care plan.
• If you continue to feel uncomfortable with their response to treatment, or if there is a breakdown in how care is being given or confusion about what needs to be done for your child, you, your nurse or doctor can call the MRT.
• The MRT can be reached by dialing “22” from any hospital phone.
• Tell the operator you are calling for the Medical Response Team.  State your name and the patient location (patient room number).
• The team will respond within 15 minutes.
• Once they arrive, they will talk with you, assess your child and begin treatment.