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About The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment
Learn about what The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment is doing to treat patients with fetal anomalies. Doctors and nurses from the Center talk about working with patients and families and the relationships that come from working within unique circumstances.
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Transcript: About The Center for Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment
N. Scott Adzick, MD: When you think about it, 20, 25 years ago, we couldn't even make these diagnoses. We didn't know much about the natural history of these disorders. We didn't know what the appropriate therapy was. Through careful coordination between research and greater clinical expertise we've got to the point where we can give parents, for the most part, accurate information so that they can make an informed choice. The future is very bright because diagnostic and therapeutic techniques are getting better. We have incredibly smart, energetic young people who are filtering up through the program.
Lori J. Howell, RN: Building upon that reputation to advance the field in fetal medicine and fetal biology —
N. Scott Adzick, MD: Within a couple years, we will have what is called a special delivery unit —
Susan R. Miesnik, MSN: A unique obstetrical labor and delivery unit that will provide delivery services for our mothers.
Martha G. Hudson, MSW: We will really be able to work with the families, from the time they have gotten the diagnosis, straight through the delivery, and then afterwards in the NICU.
Alan W. Flake, MD: We started out relatively small, and the program has grown rapidly, exponentially almost. So I think we're probably the biggest fetal treatment program in the world at this point. With that, we've treated hundreds of families.
Susan R. Miesnik, MSN: There's a huge debt that we owe to these families. They help us to advance the scientific purpose that we're here for. They help us to advance fetal treatment. And in addition, they're the life of this center.
Mark P. Johnson, MD: Every single family's contribution increases the likelihood of future families having better outcomes.
Susan R. Miesnik, MSN: They just bring such joy and such commitment to this experience, even if they're dealing with a situation that's less than optimal.
Mark P. Johnson, MD: By allowing us to care for their pregnancy, care for their children is probably the principal reason that we're able to make progress.
N. Scott Adzick, MD: In many cases the families and the patients teach us.
Joy N. Macdonald, RN: We learn so much from watching them.
Lori J. Howell, RN: Every family that we take care of adds to that education, adds to that learning.
Mark P. Johnson, MD: The other valuable contribution is that we get feedback from them.
Martha G. Hudson, MSW: Absolutely the best ideas come from families. They've been through it and they've had a chance to reflect and they give us feedback that helps us change and improve the program for the better.
Alan W. Flake, MD: I would say the majority of our families are extremely motivated. They're motivated for their own babies. They're empathetic with other families.
Holly L. Hedrick, MD: Sometimes this is a relationship that goes on for 20 weeks and then after the baby's born, can go on for years.
Susan R. Miesnik, MSN: They always provide me with a sense of hope.
Joy N. Macdonald, RN: I feel honored to be part of these, the lives of our families.
Lori J. Howell, RN: I think families get a sense for that — how special they are to us.
Mark P. Johnson, MD: We are here to provide medical care. But really the families are here to teach us what we don't know, what we don't understand, for future generations of children with these problems.
N. Scott Adzick, MD: Research represents hope for the future. And in some cases, in some of the most severe cases, hope is the only thing we have to offer families and patients. So we pursue our investigations so that in the future we can offer more than hope. We can offer health.
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