Commitment to Excellence in Quality and Safety
As the stewards of care for children hospitalized at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, our faculty and staff believe there is nothing more important than the health and well being of your child. Pediatric hospitalists are dedicated to making the inpatient environment safe and will work with you and your family to ensure your child receives the highest quality of care.
Current and Ongoing Programs
Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS)
Infants born to mothers with maternal opioid use disorder often experience withdrawal symptoms after birth; this is known as neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS). Historically, these infants would be managed with medication therapy resulting in a lengthy hospital course. In 2019, we piloted a new assessment and care tool, ‘Eat, Sleep, and Console’ (ESC), to improve management and outcomes for these infants by optimizing non-pharmacological interventions for NOWS. We successfully demonstrated a decrease in infant length of stay and hospital costs by >50%. After receiving a highly competitive grant in 2022 to improve discharge safety for infants experiencing NOWS, we showed a 40% increase in warm hand-off to providers, a >60% increase in referrals to community-based services, and an 80% increase in referrals to services for unmet needs of birth parents with opioid use disorder. We continue to work with our local community medication-assisted treatment program to optimize pre-, peri-, and postnatal care for this vulnerable population.
Asthma
Asthma is a common respiratory disease characterized by chest tightness, shortness of breath and wheezing. Asthma affects approximately 25 million people, including over 4.6 million children under the age of 18 years. Pediatric asthma is the most prevalent chronic illness and the leading cause of emergency department visits, missed school days and healthcare expenditures, making it a significant public health concern. At the University of Florida, Shands, Gainesville we take a multidisciplinary approach in caring for patients with asthma. The pediatric asthma center for excellence (PACE) group includes representatives from pediatric emergency room, pediatric hospitalist team, pulmonary specialties, nursing and respiratory specialties. The main goal is to promote teamwork between families and providers to have a better understanding of the disease and treatment modalities and fill any knowledge gaps. Our focus is on implementing the bedside asthma action plan which is an educational tool that further helps prevent readmissions and emergency room visits. We have noticed a decrease in length of stay by 20% by optimizing patient/parent education regarding proper medication use and preventive care.
Quality Academy
Our team has developed a list of training opportunities, resources, and a platform for UF faculty, staff, and providers to share their experiences. Use the link below to explore the Department of Pediatrics Quality Academy website.
Quality Data Reporting
78% of patients and families answered “Definitely yes” when asked if they would recommend UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital to family and friends. (Data represents surveys from July 2023- June 2024 for all inpatient units at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.)
Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI)
UF Health Children’s Hospital cares for children with many complex chronic conditions. Often these conditions require a central line or long term IV to be inserted (a special tube placed in a large vein, usually in the neck, chest, or groin), used to give critically ill patients fluids and medications more easily. The central line can be left in place for several weeks or months if needed.
A Central Line-Associated Bloodstream Infection (CLABSI) is an infection that happens when germs or bacteria enter the bloodstream through a central line.
Health care workers help prevent CLABSIs in many ways, including following specific evidence-based guidelines recommended for careful and sterile central line insertions, as well as proper handling, maintenance, and removal of central lines as soon as they are no longer needed.
UF Health Shands Hospital tracks CLABSI rates, and monitors adherence to best practices and recommended guidelines.
Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI)
A Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infection (CAUTI) is an infection that can occur when germs or bacteria enter the urinary tract while a catheter (tube) is in place in the bladder to drain urine.
Health care workers help prevent CAUTIs by following evidence-based guidelines recommended for careful and sterile insertion, as well as proper handling, maintenance and removal of the catheter as soon as it is no longer needed.
UF Health Shands Hospital keeps tracks CAUTI rates, and monitors adherence to best practices and recommended guidelines.
Surgical Site Infections (SSIs)
We are dedicated to reducing Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) through a comprehensive, evidence-based approach. We ensure that everyone involved in surgery is following best practices to maintain the highest standards for patient safety and recovery.
We regularly analyze data across the hospital to identify trends and share our findings with key teams to improve our efforts in preventing infections. Monitoring adherence to the SSI prevention bundle allows us to provide feedback and track progress for continuous improvement.
Hand Hygiene
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says washing hands is one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of diseases and infections. It is important for health care workers, patients, families and visitors to practice good hand hygiene. Hand hygiene means cleaning your hands by either washing them with soap and water or using hand sanitizing gel or foam.
UF Health Children’s Hospital takes hand hygiene very seriously. Ensuring doctors, nurses and other staff have clean hands is critical to preventing the spread of illness.
We have employees who are trained to watch how well medical staff wash their hands or use antibacterial gel before entering or leaving a patient’s room. The Joint Commission, a health care accreditation organization, says direct observation of staff hand hygiene is the most effective and accurate way to measure hand hygiene compliance.
This information is shared with hospital staff and leadership regularly and is used to continually improve hand hygiene in our health system so that we can provide the safest and best care to all our patients.
