February 28, 2023

With the increasing adoption of immersive technologies in the industry, Texas Children’s AR/VR Best Practices Committee was recently formed to bring people from across the organization together to share, learn and advance responsible XR technology practices. The group is comprised of collaborators from Information Services, Nursing, Quality, Child Life, Texas Children’s Innovation Hub, Baylor College of Medicine’s CRIS (Center for Research, Innovation and Scholarship in Medical Education) and more.

What is XR?

Extended Reality (XR) is an umbrella term that covers virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). XR solutions have the potential to enable a variety of new modalities in health care – ranging from how physicians and other medical professionals are trained, to alleviating the pain and anxiety that patients experience in unfamiliar hospital settings.

Demo Day samples AR/VR technology

The committee hosted its first XR Demo Day last month on The Auxiliary Bridge, welcoming all to stop by to interact with VR headsets and learn how AR works. The event lasted several hours and saw participation from patients, clinicians and non-clinicians alike, many of which had never used AR or VR before.

“The goal of the event was to inspire and help facilitate innovation within the organization,” said Innovation Partner Sahreesh Ismail from the Entrepreneurship & Innovation department. “By bringing in different solutions to sample, we’re hoping to demonstrate just how widespread and transformative XR is going to be across all aspects of health care.”

There were five different solutions on display, including a VR application called MultiBrush used for physical therapy, art therapy and distraction therapy, and a demo of the Cisco Hologram that creates an AR experience to close the gap between virtual and in-person collaboration. Nursing Professional Development also provided demos of the central line dressing and sterile cap change modules they are piloting with the Oculus headset.

Participants had an opportunity to use voice commands using the Meta Quest 2 headset, virtually treating obstetric patients with hemorrhaging, shoulder dystocia, and other obstetric emergencies. They were also able to shoot basketball hoops and create fireworks behind the Statue of Liberty using AR.

“The XR technology being showcased provides a great overview for AR/VR applications in health care. I’m intrigued by these ongoing efforts to promote innovation and delighted to see people get so energized with the potentials of XR applications that optimize care and enhance patient experiences,” said Dr. Satid Thammasitboon. “This was such a great turnout and a big win for research, innovation and scholarship at Texas Children’s.”

The AR/VR Best Practices Committee will continue to forge a pathway for all XR use cases at Texas Children’s by promoting enterprise-wide adoptions and utilization of XR technologies that leapfrog existing methodologies for education, training and other use cases. The team plans to host another Demo Day for West Campus and The Woodlands later this year, and is set participate in the upcoming Professional Day Summit at Duncan NRI on Wednesday, April 19.

If you would like to participate in the committee or have an idea for AR/VR solutions, click here to reach the Entrepreneurship & Innovation team.

February 24, 2023

The thoughts and perspectives of our patients, families and One Amazing Team are key to building a bright future for Texas Children’s. Our executives and unit leaders have embraced the opportunity to learn by listening to and engaging with team members and patients.

One leader noted, “I found value in asking staff what brings them joy at work and getting positive feedback from our patients and families – as well as letting our workforce know that we genuinely appreciate their tireless leadership and want them to be open on any ways we can improve.”

What began as rounding one unit with four executives quickly spread to West Campus and The Woodlands, and is now expanding to over 70 areas across varying shifts. This growth has been possible because of your participation and tireless commitment from our leaders!

Culture Rounds Feedback

Culture Rounds has engaged more than 2,500 team members, patients and families over the past year. Because of your feedback, there have already been some great success stories across quality, safety and experience. Comments from leaders and team members illustrate the progress being made through these interactions.

“Unit staff discussed the need for new paint, light fixtures, and requested new bed stirrups because they weren’t functioning properly. We also needed better security. Through culture rounds, all of these items were addressed by leadership.”

“Visibility is important, especially between staff and leadership. Knowing [leaders and executives] are involved is a huge morale boost. Thank you for hearing us out!”

“We are finally making headway with our PACS workflow issues. It was escalated to the Assistant Vice President, which helped bring back the attention we needed. We are in the process of updating our stretchers to be safer for the staff and patients.”

Phase IV Schedule

Executive teams and unit leaders will continue rounding and building relationships with patients, families and team members. The next phase will begin Wednesday, March 1, with Wednesdays from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. designated by Texas Children’s as protected time for Culture Rounds, with the exception of rounding on our evening workforce.

We thank you tremendously for your support and dedication to making Texas Children’s a better place to work and receive care. We look forward to seeing everyone and engaging in meaningful conversations as we continue to improve our culture.

For more information on Culture Rounds and quality, safety and patient experience, contact Kandice Bledsaw at krrachal@texaschildrens.org or Julie Griffith at jmgriffi@texaschildrens.org.

February 21, 2023

Giddy up, it’s rodeo time! As this year’s Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo kicks off, let’s celebrate Go Texan Day Friday, February 24 by showing off our best western wear. Since you’re not roping or riding bulls, your gear shouldn’t have any rips, holes or frays.

We’re excited once again to partner with the rodeo to offer the convenience of purchasing digital park and carnival tickets or a chance to get discounted concert tickets. Click here for details.

As mentioned in Mark Wallace’s email, since the Houston Rodeo will be recognizing organizations for their enthusiasm, you are also invited to share your spirit on social media using the hashtags #OneAmazingTeam and #GoTexanDay.

To be featured internally on Connect, email your photos to the Communications team so we can share the fun throughout the rodeo.

February 20, 2023

This week, a Magnet® appraiser team will join Texas Children’s for a virtual site visit (February 21 – 24, 2023), marking a huge milestone in the hospital’s journey towards achieving our fourth re-designation.

Since 2003, Texas Children’s has been a Magnet-designated organization. Every four years, the hospital applies for re-designation, which is the highest and most prestigious recognition provided by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) that reflects our commitment to providing quality patient care.

What to expect during the virtual site visit

The Magnet appraisers will be virtually accompanied by a staff nurse escort at all times, touring each clinical area (unit or clinic) where nurses practice. The Magnet appraisers will typically ask questions about how patient care is delivered at Texas Children’s, and those who interact with the appraisers are encouraged to reference exemplars (see our written documentation) that ladder up to the core Magnet model components:

  • Transformational Leadership
  • Structural Empowerment
  • Exemplary Professional Practice
  • New Knowledge, Innovations and Improvements
  • Empirical Outcomes
Brush up on hot topics

Nursing staff are invited to join our remaining 15-minute Magnet Blitz sessions on Tuesday at noon and Friday at noon. Click here to access recordings of the previous Blitz sessions.

Our Magnet teams have been hard at work preparing rigorously to ensure readiness for this site visit, and now we’re off to the races! Clinical team members are encouraged to wear and lace up their best sneakers on Monday, February 20 as we sprint to the finish line of our Relay to Redesignation.

Texas Children’s staff have the opportunity to meet individually with the appraisers during an Open Session from 3:25 p.m. to 4:25 p.m. on Tuesday, February 21 at the following locations:

  • Feigin Center (Medical Center) – C.0235.02
  • West Campus – WC.310.40
  • The Woodlands – WL110.54
February 15, 2023

To meet the needs of international families and partners, Brittany taps into her love for traveling. Click to learn more about her journey and what Black History Month means to her. Read more

On February 6, tragedy struck with two 7.8 and 7.5 magnitude earthquakes in Southeastern Turkey and Northern Syria claiming precious lives and causing devastating damage. As the death toll surpasses more than 36,000 with tens of thousands injured, they continue to search for survivors amidst the freezing temperatures.

It’s hard not to feel a range of emotions watching people go through this type of tragedy. It’s hitting home for so many of our Texas Children’s colleagues, especially those watching what’s unfolding in their home country.

Dr. Serife Uysal in Pediatrics, Diabetes and Endocrinology at the Woodlands Campus shares her thoughts on what is happening in her home country of Turkey. “The amount of pain and suffering is immense and humanitarian needs are enormous. People have lost their lives, their loved ones, houses and jobs, and recovery will take years. My heart breaks for them. So many people are in need for food, water, shelter, medical supplies, as well as mental and emotional support as they cope with these events. Outside help is essential to their survival.”

Serpil Tutan, Director, Clinical Research, Department of Pediatrics comments on the tragedy and appreciation for the support. “No words can describe the pain and devastation I feel after one of the largest and deadliest earthquakes hit Turkey, my home country, and Syria. It is frustrating to see this much destruction and chaos. Hopefully, something good can come out of this as a lesson to be learned for everyone on how to be better prepared to survive and act fast to save lives in the future. All we can do now is play our part in supporting a quick recovery for affected regions. I am grateful for the outpouring of love and support we are receiving from the rest of the world.”

Ipek Kose, Research Administration Specialist stresses the importance of coming together in aid. “This is a big tragedy in Turkey and Syria. The earthquake took many lives and continues to do so and the damage is bigger than anyone can imagine. But thanks to you, we can touch lives with a little help and be the hope to leave these devastations behind. We need your help and anything you can provide through the links below would be appreciated as recovery will be a long journey. Please spread the word. Thank you!”

Elif Dundar, Research Coordinator encourages people to think globally. “Survivors of the catastrophic earthquakes in Syria and Turkey are in need of global support. In the midst of harsh winter storms, families are urgently seeking access to shelter, food and clean water. Incredible efforts have been underway over the last week to rescue people from the rubble and provide housing to displaced survivors. Children are in particularly vulnerable positions without their usual support frameworks and will need dedicated attention to psychosocial support and schooling. As the humanitarian response scales up, it is imperative we sustain this outpouring of global support to rebuild these regions together as a global team. With a unified response, we can reduce the toll on families and give them a chance to rebuild their lives with dignity and hope.”

Serpil, Elif and Ipek researched and vetted non-profit organizations collecting donations, including Turkish Philanthropy Funds and American Turkish Association Houston. They have offered this flyer to post in your area if interested.

In addition, there are several large organizations collecting donations. The following are trusted partners of Texas Children’s.

UNICEF
Global Giving
IFRC
Save the Children
Doctors Without Borders
CARE

Child Life hosted a fun-filled Valentine’s Day party for patients in The Zone with goodie bags, cookie decorating and a visit from Pluto and Bailey! Check out the photo gallery.