Health Technology

The Success of an EMR-Based Health-Related Social Needs Screen in Pediatrics
The Success of an EMR-Based Health-Related Social Needs Screen in Pediatrics 1024 683 Deborah L. Ungerleider, MD, FAAP

Standardized universal HRSN screening with an EMR system and follow-up by social work consults can be successful and contribute to reducing health disparities.   Health-related social needs (HRSNs), sometimes referred to as social determinants of health (SODH), are the risk factors of food insecurity, lack of stable housing and poverty, all of which can play…

The Sound of Silence: The Impact of “Silent” Genetic Variation in Health and Disease
The Sound of Silence: The Impact of “Silent” Genetic Variation in Health and Disease 1024 575 Lauren Dembeck

Despite widespread scientific interest in messenger RNA (mRNA) structure, its role in human health and disease remains poorly understood. Researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital have developed novel software and metrics to identify “silent” genetic variants that affect mRNA folding and may underlie rare genetic disorders. Historically, synonymous or “silent” genetic variants — those in protein-coding…

More Data on Rare GI Diseases, With Less Work
More Data on Rare GI Diseases, With Less Work 1024 535 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES
Collage of health technology tools

Electronic health record systems can drive knowledge acquisition in rare gastrointestinal conditions — and other orphan diseases — without the burden of duplicative data entry. Rare diseases often remain poorly understood and inefficiently treated due to a lack of objective knowledge on their natural history, pathophysiology or clinical outcomes in response to various therapies. Collecting…

The Role of Health Care Voice Assistants During a Pandemic and Beyond
The Role of Health Care Voice Assistants During a Pandemic and Beyond 1024 576 Mary Bates, PhD

The COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the need for telehealth and other digital tools to deliver health care remotely. In a recent commentary published in NPJ Digital Medicine, researchers from Nationwide Children’s examined the state of voice assistants as an emerging tool for remote care delivery and discussed the readiness of health systems and technology providers to adopt these…

Can Smartphone Apps Keep AYA Oncology Patients Plugged in to Their Medication Routines?
Can Smartphone Apps Keep AYA Oncology Patients Plugged in to Their Medication Routines? 1024 684 Natalie Wilson
teen girl using cell phone

Studies show that suboptimal medication adherence may be a barrier to increased survival rates among adolescents and young adults with cancer. Anthony Audino, MD, explores the utility of medication adherence apps to meet the unique needs of these patients. The incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults (AYA), or those 15-39 years old, has…

How Does a Children’s Hospital Excel in the Discovery and Development of New Therapies?
How Does a Children’s Hospital Excel in the Discovery and Development of New Therapies? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
conceptual art of DNA

A conversation with Dennis Durbin, MD, MSCE chief scientific officer, Abigail Wexner Research Institute, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Nationwide Children’s has become an epicenter for gene therapy discovery and development. The discovery in 2009 that adeno-associated virus (AAV) could cross the blood-brain barrier was a milestone in the development of dozens of gene therapy products for neuromuscular…

From Clinician Ideas to Commercially-Available Clinical Devices
From Clinician Ideas to Commercially-Available Clinical Devices 150 150 Kevin Mayhood

Pressure wounds were a common complication following a tracheostomy, often resulting in advanced-stage wounds, national studies showed. Nationwide Children’s Hospital was no different but Kris Jatana, MD, and Charles Elmaraghy, MD, surgeons in the Department of Otolaryngology, knew they could improve these outcomes. Brendan Boyle, MD, and Alex Green, DO, were fellows in the Division…

Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, How Do We Bring Voice Technology Into Health Care?
Hey Google, Siri and Alexa, How Do We Bring Voice Technology Into Health Care? 1024 576 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

As voice assistant technology plays an increasing role in everything from home security to baking, researchers at the vanguard of medical innovation must figure out how to appropriately adapt it for the future of health care. Voice assistant technology has advanced dramatically in the last couple of decades, moving from almost comical talk-to-text tools in…

FDA APPROVAL: Gene Therapy Comes of Age
FDA APPROVAL: Gene Therapy Comes of Age 1024 575 Abbie Miller
Colorful illustration of gene therapy in action

UPDATED: May 2019 On May 24, 2019, the FDA approved Zolgensma (formerly AVXS-101), a first-of-its-kind gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy. In the 13 months that have passed since this article first posted, the long-term outcomes of gene therapy for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) have continued to bolster the community’s hope for the treatments. Now,…

Changing the Game: Virtual Reality Distracts From Pain, Transforming the Patient Experience
Changing the Game: Virtual Reality Distracts From Pain, Transforming the Patient Experience 844 487 Gina Bericchia

A first-of-its-kind virtual reality experience from the hemophilia team and design experts at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The Ohio State University distracts patients with an immersive environment of penguins, pirates and hermit crabs during infusions and other procedures. A pilot study is testing the feasibility of integrating the virtual reality technology into the clinic setting.…

The Collapse of Biofilms?
The Collapse of Biofilms? 1024 575 Jeb Phillips
Illustration showing the precise pattern of a biofilm - a perfect, 3D matrix

Scientists are working to eliminate the causes of countless chronic and recurrent human infections. Before the discoveries that could lead to biofilm eradication, before the idea that he was even working on treatments for the bacterial communities that are crucial to most human infections, Steven Goodman, PhD, had a mystery on his hands. For nearly 15 years. Dr. Goodman, then a biochemist…

Data-Driven Health Care Delivery
Data-Driven Health Care Delivery 150 150 Tiasha Letostak, PhD

Health care enterprise data warehouse (EDW) technology, analytics and cross-functional teams are leading to improved quality and efficiency of patient care. Big data has big potential, but despite the value of electronic health record (EHR) systems in digitizing care at hospitals, data-driven improvements are commonly hindered by an inability to measure and analyze this data…