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GOING M BILE A RETROFITTED TOY JEEP EMPOWERS YOUNG PATIENTS TO TAKE THE WHEEL.
Healthy Together
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n February, 5-year-old Ella Francks underwent surgery at Saint Barnabas Medical Center (SBMC), which required her to be in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for a time. A key part of Ella’s care plan involved having her consume liquids to stay hydrated—a tough ask, because swallowing is uncomfortable after a surgery like the one Ella had. Ella resisted. But the PICU nurses had a secret weapon: If Ella met her drinking goal, she could drive the unit’s batterypowered toy Jeep down to the playroom. Ella drank the water, and off she drove to the playroom. “It was so great to see her having fun after a bit of an anxious morning,” recalls her mother, Sarah Francks. The Jeep is useful for encouraging patient compliance, but also for much more, explains Lauren Farrand, MSN, RN, CPN, Clinical Director of the PICU. “We want our patients to get out of bed and participate in activities to the fullest extent possible, and the prospect of driving the Jeep encourages that,” she
Summer 2021
6/2/21 4:28 PM
