John Anastos, D.O.
Excellence in Pediatric Imaging

 

“No one becomes accustomed to a child's cry.”

 

“It's bad enough to be sick - you shouldn't have to be scared, too," says Cindy Law, mom to 3-year-old Jack. Suffering from an immune deficiency and requiring repeat CT scans, Jack's fear of hospitals had grown to the point of being unbearable. All that changed when the two arrived at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital (Park Ridge, IL) - home to the world's first Ambient Experience CT suite.

 

“We're one of the most comprehensive providers of pediatric care in Illinois,” says John Anastos, D.O., Chairman, Department of Radiology, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. “Providing a supportive and soothing environment for our pediatric patients and their parents is something we take very seriously. So does Philips - our Ambient Experience CT suite is proof.”

 

“Why does a medical procedure have to be an upsetting experience for the patient?”

 

That was the genesis for the entire Ambient Experience design concept. When Philips approached Kenneth Gorfinkle, Ph.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology at Columbia University in New York, and asked him to consult on a new concept designed to reduce patient anxiety in exam and procedure rooms, the clinical psychologist didn't hesitate. “Hospitals and diagnostic procedures are scary things to adults and children. When you look at kids, it's also a matter of having them sit or lie still and hold their breaths long enough to get the scan or administer the treatment. I joined the Philips team to help find ways to make the overall patient experience not only safer and more tolerable, but also pleasant. Philips Ambient Experience design delivers on all fronts.”

 

 

It's been a little over a year since Advocate Lutheran General installed Philips Ambient Experience in its pediatric CT suite. In that time, Advocate has reduced sedation rates by 16% in children under the age of eighteen years, and by 28% in children under the age of four.

 

Dr. Anastos agrees. “About one-third of children require sedation because they are unable to relax enough for a successful diagnostic exam. That's pretty significant when you consider that sedation adds six to eight hours of recovery time to a procedure that could be completed in 15 minutes. One of the goals we have for our Ambient Experience CT suite is to alleviate anxiety and tension, thereby reducing sedation and radiation exposure. We're happy to report that since we installed the Ambient CT suite a little over one year ago, we have reduced sedation rates by 16% in children under the age of eighteen years, and by 28% for children under the age of four. It's amazing.”

 

Onward and upward

 

“If Philips had not been willing to look for a better way to enhance and improve the quality of patient care, our plans for a patient-friendly environment would not have come to fruition,” says Dr. Anastos. “Philips is a visionary company and we look forward to seeing where Ambient Experience design will take us.”

 

- September 2007

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