Philips & Nicklaus Children’s Health System Collaborate to Enhance Pediatric Care

Royal Philips and Nicklaus Children’s Health System, a recognized leader in pediatric care, have entered a 10-year strategic collaboration to enhance the patient and staff experience, enhance outcomes, and drive innovation in pediatric care.
 
Nicklaus Children’s will adopt Philips technologies such as the Ingenia Ambition X MR and EPIQ CVx ultrasound, with AI-enabled radiology workflow solutions to reduce exam times and the need for rescans, while increasing diagnostic confidence, resulting in faster diagnosis and treatment for patients. 
 
Nicklaus Children’s will also use the Philips Ambient Experience, Kitten Scanner, and Scan Buddy App, to help put patients at ease during MRIs by showing them what to expect [1] and empowering them during the scan to help reduce the need for sedation [2] and shorten exam times.
 
“Philips shares our commitment to innovation, and patient safety and quality, and has taken the time to understand our care goals and the unique Nicklaus Children’s experience we work to deliver,” said Matthew A. Love, president, and CEO of Nicklaus Children’s Health System. “This means understanding that you cannot just make a smaller version of an adult radiology solution for our patients, and that sick kids don’t necessarily stay still for studies. More importantly, if we can make things fun and give each child confidence about the procedure, we can alleviate some of the stress they and their families may be feeling as part of the treatment process.”
 
This is the first mobile use of the Philips Ambition X MR, which never needs Helium refilling, and can be discharged or re-energized using the EasySwitch solution, which allows for a controlled ramp down of the magnet, minimizing patient disruptions.
 
The SmartWorkfloe and SmartSpeed MR technologies allow staff to automate exam set-ups and speed up exam time by up to 65% [3]. The Philips Scan Buddy app, let patients learn about the MR procedure at home through a fun medium. Within the exam area, kids can play with the Kitten Scanner, a miniature MR that allows them to discover how it works. In the exam room itself, the Philips Ambient Experience with dynamic lighting, video projection, and sound helps put children at ease.
 
“Nicklaus Children’s understands that it isn’t just about the technology, it is about creating a healthy future for every child, giving their families and their staff the most precious commodity there is – time,” said Jeff DiLullo, Chief Region Leader for Philips North America. “This is why we develop these systems end-to-end with the smallest of patients in mind, working with child psychologists, not just engineers, to understand how we can improve their experience. Nicklaus Children’s is one of the best pediatric health systems with the highest survival rates in the nation, and if we can help their clinicians with pediatric coaching solutions and AI-enabled solutions to quickly find the answers they need to deliver exceptional outcomes, we can also give families hope.”
 
Sources:
[1] Scan Buddy: A Gamified App to Prepare Children for an MRI Scan | SpringerLink
[2] Kitten Scanner reduces the use of sedation in pediatric MRI (sagepub.com)
[3] Compared to examinations without SmartSpeed imaging