Behavioral Concerns, Child Undergoing EEG Monitoring Clinical Pathway — Inpatient and Outpatient Specialty Care

Child Life Pre-admission Plan of Care

The plan of care provides the inpatient team with information to prepare the child and family for EEG study in a safe environment.

Child Life: Pre-admission Plan of Care Process

  • Children with behavioral concerns documented in the EEG order will be identified by child life specialist (CLS). The CLS will then call the family to gather additional information.
  • Plan of care is documented as care coordination encounter which is routed to nursing leadership, EEG technologist manager, and other CLS.
  • CLS partners with parent(s) or caregiver(s) to assess psychosocial needs during admission. Questions in the dotphrase .ltmbehavior are:
    • What is the best way to communicate with your child?
    • When your child shows signs of anxiety or agitation, what helpful techniques do you use to calm them down at home?
    • Has your child undergone EEG monitoring before?
    • What helps your child to stay calm during medical procedures?
    • Are there specific behaviors that your child displays that we should know?
    • Does your child have sensitivity to noise or touch?

Child Life Admission Support

Child Life services are dependent on the 9S Child Life team and On-Call availability. As a result, procedural preparation or procedural support are not guaranteed to families. Clinicians should refer to Care Coordination Plan if Child Life is unavailable.

Procedural Preparation
  • Prepare child and family using developmentally appropriate materials and provide step-by-step instructions for how the procedure is done.
  • Provide step-by-step instructions for how the procedure is performed.
  • May show actual medical equipment:
    • Child can touch/explore in a non-threatening manner before the procedure.
    • Provides child with opportunity to:
      1. Develop expectations
      2. Decrease uncertainty, fear and anxiety
      3. Increase cooperation during procedure
    • Allows child and family to ask additional questions and clarify misconceptions.
  • Formulate a coping plan to address any difficulties.
Coping Plan for Procedural Support
  • Identifies:
    • Possible barriers for the child before procedure.
    • Ways to support or distract child, allowing for greater compliance.
    • Environmental triggers that would pose difficulties for the child.
Coping and Play
  • Goal is to make the hospital environment as normal as possible.
  • Promote typical patient/family routine and normalization.
  • Provide play items such as sensory toys and tactile items to promote a comfortable environment.