The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne

About Comfort Kids

The Comfort Kids Program model:

•  enable health care professional to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills to integrate coping strategies into routine procedural practice thereby minimising  procedural distress, anxiety and pain. See -health care professional
• to inform and empower families/children thru education and modelling of developmentally appropriate coping strategies (calm breathing;muscle relaxation;mind pictures;busy brainwaves activity )
• provide governance ( guideline and policy) and leadership to ensure a sustainable hospital wide approach
• the provision of resources and clinical specialist ( Advance Practice Nurses, Educational Play Therapist)
• triage/accept referrals for children who are highly or extremely distressed, needle aversions and hospital/medical related stress or phobia- email  lisa.takacs@rch.org.au
• provide consultation and procedural sedation advice for the ambulatory and ward clinical areas
• identification of strategies to support long term sustainability of change and improvement across the Hospital.

RCH Procedural Pain Management Service part of the Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management

• Non urgent referrals 03 9345 9821  or email marnie.pascoe.org.au
• For urgent referrals page 7933

 

• Supervised by: Dr. Ian McKenzie Director of Anaesthesia and Pain 03 9345 5232 Pager 5234
• Managed by: Lisa Takacs Manager and Clinical Nurse Consultant  03 9345 7933 Pager 4877  
• Nurse Researcher: Grace Larson 03 9345 7933 page 7932 grace.larson@rch.org.au

Australian Pain Symposium Melbourne April 1-4th 2012

•  Program funding  is proudly sponsored by the Staff of Safeway

  

 

Educational Play Therapy Department 03 9345 5424

• • Chief Educational Play Therapy Louise Marbina 03 9345 5423
  • Referring a distressed child or referring a child for surgical preparation 

  Pre admision resource centre ( PARC)      

• • Free Pre surgical preparation book for children                                 

Frequently asked questions:

• Where do I find the Procedural Pain Management Guidelines
• Where do I find the Procedural Pain Management Policy
• Where do I find the Procedural sedation clinical guidelines - ward/outpatients
• What is Sucrose
• Where is the location of Sucrose education fact sheet
• How to purchase pre packaged Sucrose
• National Newborn Pain Practice guideline (PDF)
• How do I administer AnGel and Emla( topical anaesthetic agents)
• Nitrous oxide
  • About nitrous oxide
  • Location of nitrous oxide units Ordering nitrous oxide or oxygen cylinders
  • Nitrous oxide disposable circuits
  • Nitrous oxide silicon circuits
  • Record of Sedation MR 56S
  • Ordering disposable masks
  • Booking a Comfort Kids Nurse for sedation event ( immediate event please page 7933) Future dated events please fill in referral form
  • How do I become accredited to administer IV midazolam
• Where do I find information for Parents: Kids Health Information
• Fact Sheets
  • Chloral hydrate
  • Nitrous oxide
  • Midazolam
  • Medical Imaging Procedure Guides

  

Register to attend a workshop.

Comfort Kids Workshop:

Full day workshop is aimed at providing participants with strategies ( music, positioning for comfort, distraction and relaxation and breathing) that can be integrated into their procedural practice and how to better support families and children for procedures thru the use of developmentally appropriate language and preparation. The workshop presenters include Clinical Nurse Consultants from the pain services and the Department of Educational Play and Music Therapy. Queries please contact lisa.takacs@rch.org.au 

Workshop dates 2012 - DUE TO A SYSTEM ISSUE PARTICIPANTS WHO REGISTERED BEFORE MARCH 19TH 2012 HAVE NOT BEEN CONFIRMED FOR THE 2012 WORKSHOP PLEASE CONTACT lisa.takacs@rch.org.au TO RE CONFIRM YOUR REGISTRATION.

Internal applicants  RCH and MCRI staff -select  the date and register via the link April 5th   / June 4th / October 4th   / December 4th 2012

External Applicants - select the date and register via the link: Comfort Kids Workshop

Pre reading material: the suggested three articles were selected to support the main themes of the workshop.  Pre reading one, Pre reading two, Pre reading three.

 

Procedural Sedation Leader Workshop

The Procedural Sedation Leader Workshop is designed as a train/trainer model, staff who attend this workshop must be accredited to deliver nitrous oxide before attending the workshop. The trainer is the designated staff member who is accountable to accredited staff in their clinical area at RCH.

NEXT WORKSHOP: Due to upcoming move the new hospital additional PSL workshops will not be offered at this time. Procedural Sedation Leader Training will resume on the following dates: July 5th 2012.  

Nitrous oxide credentialing and or orientation to new Nitrous oxide units: nitrous oxide sedation in the New Hospital will be delivered by new equipment which differs from the current equipment Please contact    your local Procedural Sedation Leader, if you do not have a PSL please contact lisa.takacs@rch.org.au