HJAR Sep/Oct 2023

50 SEP / OCT 2023 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF ARKANSAS CHILDREN’S HEALTH Interdisciplinary care Many advanced home ventilator pro- gram patients are premature infants with chronic lung disease or children with neu- romuscular diseases. Both groups require coordinated specialty care. A multidisciplinary team contributes to the success of the program. Care pro- grams that incorporate advanced home ventilator expert teams manage the care of children who need various types of re- spiratory support at home, such as ven- tilators, bi-level, CPAP, airway clearance devices, and/or have a tracheostomy. The team includes: CHILDREN on chronic home ventilation face an increased risk of hospitalization, and their families often experience high stress levels. Advanced home ventilator programs, which now incorporate telemedicine, provide expert treatment from a multi- disciplinary pediatric pulmonology team to provide education, respiratory assess- ments, and coordinated care to patients at the hospital and at home. The program has three pillars for suc- cess: establishing optimal respiratory sta- tus at discharge, extensive family educa- tion, and telemedicine. COLUMN CHILDREN’S HEALTH • Physicians: pulmonology, neonatol- ogy, critical care, and otolaryngology. • Nurses: pulmonary specialty nurses and advanced practice nurses. • Respiratory therapists. • Social workers. • Dietitians. • Child life specialists. • Psychologists. • Palliative care team. • Other therapists (physical, speech, and occupational). Patients and families have the support of respiratory therapists who assess pa- tients’ respiratory needs and coordinate ADVANCED HOME VENTILATOR PROGRAMS REVOLUTIONIZEDWITH TELEMEDICINE