Chances are you can remember a time when the health care system did not seem to take your concerns seriously or provided care in a way that hardly seemed “caring”. After all, the “system” is huge, so it is not always easy for one patient or parent to be heard. If this situation arises, what do you do? The answer has to do with your unique style of dealing with conflict, your trust in the health care system, and the degree of inadequate treatment. Remember: you are your child’s voice. Any child, and especially an ill child, depends on his or her parent(s) or caregiver to be proactive advocates for their needs.

Being hospitalized for cancer can be a frightening experience for a child, but a friendly and approachable nurse can make all the difference.

“For these children with an oncology diagnosis, they’re very vulnerable. And many times they’re excluded in decisions for their care,” said Bethany J. Petronio-Coia, PhD, RN, a nurse educator at the Rhode Island College School of Nursing. “So it’s really important for pediatric nurses, and providers of all kinds that they think about and reflect on actions and words, and hopefully make some changes to improve the lives of these children.”

While in nursing school, I was taught that there are five key vital signs to monitor: heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, blood pressure and temperature. These key indicators are constantly monitored and watched for alarming trends. This real-time information gives medical providers an idea on how the patient is coping with whatever aliment placed them in the hospital. We spend years studying how different disease processes affect these five key vital signs, so when those alarming trends surface, we’re in a position to diagnose and act quickly.

COVID-19’s arrival accelerated what pediatricians were able to learn about how kids and their caregivers interact with telehealth. The explosion of visits allowed them to gain knowledge and data it may have otherwise taken a decade to gather, experts say.

Communication can be difficult for children and babies, especially those with special needs. There are many benefits, health and otherwise, to using sign language to communicate with children. From a medical standpoint, if they are in pain, they may have trouble voicing it or may be crying. Sign language can remedy this.

Doctors estimate this disease affects one in 200 children. There are many obstacles that come along with it — troubles with insurance coverage as well as common misdiagnoses that’s left families in the dark.

Clara McCloskey is sharing her experience with the disease in hopes to shine some light for other families going through a similar situation.

A half a million people are living with cerebral palsy right now. CP is the most common of all childhood disabilities, affecting movement and posture and is most often caused by lack of blood flow to the brain at birth. The earlier it’s diagnosed; the sooner treatments and therapies can begin. A new breakthrough may help to change the lives of these children forever.

Mental health has been an important health topic recently, especially due to COVID-19. However, children are often overlooked. We sometimes think that children don’t entirely understand what’s going on and therefore are experiencing no emotions out of the ordinary. This is simply untrue.

In an effort to increase hospital capacity amid the current COVID-19 surge, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday announced “unprecedented” flexibilities around providing hospital-level care for patients in their homes.

COVID may be pushing parents of children with special needs all to new levels of stress, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Find out how to navigate these new and uncharted times with greater success for you and your family.