On Thursday, January 16, a special series of Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds will commence with its inaugural presentation. A family-led academic grand rounds (FLAG rounds) will offer a new view and a unique sort of teaching for clinicians about the care for children with disabilities or medical complexity from the perspective of families. It is the first of five FLAG round presentations to be offered in 2025.
Medical training about children with disabilities or medical complexity is largely delivered by medical practitioners in grand rounds sessions, generally addressing diagnoses and treatments. The families’ experiences are usually not part of the discussion. The underlying concept of FLAG rounds is to turn families into teachers; it allows those who in their daily lives address the challenges of the care of these children to help educate health care professionals and trainees.
Children with progressive illness or severe chronic conditions, also known as children with medical complexity, frequently use one or more medical devices to assist with vital functions. Complications with these devices, such as a dislodged breathing tube or catheter infections, may lead to frequent emergency department visits and hospitalizations. Thus, the care of these children presents many diverse challenges to their families, whose daily lives are marked by a special kind of vigilance and caution. This aspect of care is not often addressed at length in general medical training.
Danielle Gerber, family engagement specialist in the Division of Hospital Medicine and Complex Care, was determined to bring families’ experiences to the forefront in medical education about children with medical complexity, and the issue of ableism in pediatric care generally. She developed a project and applied for a grant from the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health. Her project, entitled, “Learning from Lived Experience: National Pediatric Family Faculty Grand Rounds,” was funded. Serving as senior advisors for the project from the division are Ryan Coller, MD, MPH, associate professor and division chief, and Heidi Kloster, MD, associate professor. The Department of Pediatrics has partnered with the Bluebird Way Foundation to host and produce the project’s five virtual pediatric Family-Led Academic Grand Rounds.
Gerber described the project in her application as having the objective of using “storytelling and didactic lecture to demonstrate the power and capability of the narratives of lived experience as tools for education and illustrate how to partner with children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) families in care.” The series is designed for doctors, nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, trainees (including residents, fellows, and medical students), patients, caregivers, and community members.
The sessions are described on the Professional Development webpages. Each will take place from noon to 1 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon via Zoom. The first session, as noted, will be offered as both an in-person event in HSLC 1335 and remotely, with Danielle Gerber and Cara Coleman, founder of the Bluebird Way Foundation, as speakers. Subsequent sessions are scheduled for March 13, May 29, September 25, and December 4.