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Medical Staff Attend the 11th International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis

Medical Staff Attend the 11th International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis

by | Nov 15, 2017 | Research & Innovation

Doctors and researchers from Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children are attending the 11th International Congress on Early Onset Scoliosis (ICEOS) meeting in San Diego, California. This annual conference brings together medical professionals who specialize in treating pediatric spinal deformities to discuss the latest research and innovations.

The Growing Spine Foundation (GSF), established in 2008, is a non-profit organization that supports education and research efforts to enhance the care and treatment of early onset scoliosis (EOS) patients. The GSF educational mission is carried out through the annual ICEOS meeting as a commitment to finding new techniques to help this patient population. Several of Scottish Rite Hospital’s doctors are members of this group. Over the years, ICEOS has grown to be known as the premier medical conference for clinicians and researchers who are dedicated to researching innovative techniques to care for children with early onset scoliosis (EOS).

Members of GSF from the hospital include Assistant Chief of Staff Charles E. Johnston, M.D., Medical Director of Ambulatory Care Brandon A. Ramo, M.D., staff orthopedist Amy. L. McIntosh, M.D. and research coordinator Dong-Phuong Tran, M.S.

As a faculty member of ICEOS, Ramo understands the value this meeting brings to the overall care for patients diagnosed with EOS. “Early onset scoliosis can range from the common to the complex,” says Ramo. “The ICEOS meeting enables collaboration and focused discussions regarding this patient population to ultimately educate specialists on the latest treatment techniques to enhance the standard of care.”

This year, the hospital has several projects selected for presentation. In addition, staff are leading various educational sessions throughout the three-day meeting. The research projects selected include:

  • Continued Deterioration in Pulmonary Function at Minimum 18-year Follow-up from Early Thoracic Fusion in non-Neuromuscular Scoliosis – Nominated for a Behrooz A. Akbarnia Award for Best Paper
  • Short Term HRQoL Results in MCGR and TGR patients – Divergent from Long Term EOSQ Results in TGR Graduates

Scottish Rite Hospital is honored to have the opportunity to educate and share research with medical professionals from around the world. It is conferences like ICEOS that allows our doctors to have a farther reach to bring the best possible treatment back to our patients and children everywhere. 

#SRHaccess Facebook LIVE Recap: What is a teaching hospital?

#SRHaccess Facebook LIVE Recap: What is a teaching hospital?

by | Nov 8, 2017 | Research & Innovation

On this week’s Facebook live, Chief of Staff Emeritus Tony Herring, M.D. joined us to discuss what it means to be a teaching hospital and the history of our institution educating the doctors of the future. Below is the recap of the conversation.

Watch this Facebook live. 

What is a teaching hospital?

  • A hospital that teaches and educates students in medicine – including medical students, residents, fellows, nursing students, psychology fellows. As a teaching hospital, Scottish Rite Hospital provides residents and fellows the opportunity to work closely with the staff when treating the patients.
  • Medical students: most of their time is in the classroom – students observe, practice medicine under supervision of the staff to become a doctor.
    • Residency: After graduating from medical school, the individual goes into residency. The residents of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center join our team for six months for their pediatric orthopedic rotation.
    • Fellowship: After completing a residency, an individual is now a doctor. A fellowship provides training in a subspecialty, like pediatric orthopedic surgery.
    • The hospital has several fellowships. The Dorothy & Bryant Edwards Fellowship welcomes five new fellows to train at Scottish Rite Hospital for a year. Fellows work alongside and learn from our world-renowned staff in all areas of pediatric orthopedic surgery.
  • The hospital also has programs for all levels of medical training: nursing students, physical therapy students, psychologists, etc.

Historical timeline of Scottish Rite Hospital being a teaching hospital:

  • Residents from UTSW trained at our hospital since the Department of Orthopaedics started at that institution decades ago.
  • In the early 1980s, Scottish Rite Hospital established a pediatric orthopedic fellowship program to allow orthopedic surgeons to receive specialized training. Since its inception, the fellowship program has grown to be one of the finest programs in the country.
  • The first class of fellows had a total of three – today, the Dorothy & Bryant Edwards Fellowship is offered to five individuals each year.

How does being a teaching hospital impact patient care?

  • The staff surgeon is responsible for everything that happens – controls the operations and care of the child.
  • Decision making – children’s orthopedics is complicated and each case requires an individualized treatment plan.
  • Every Monday night, the medical staff and the trainees gather to discuss the surgical cases scheduled for that week. Residents and fellows can collaborate and work with the staff to determine the best possible treatment plan for each child. This not only teaches the trainees, but also allows our doctors to continue their education.

Research as a key component to training:

  • The hospital is privileged to conduct research through UTSW. The goal of the hospital’s research is to find better ways to manage problems and determine the best possible treatments for the various conditions.
  • Our doctors travel the world to present current research and are changing medical practice on a global scale.
  • Residents and fellows choose the area of research they would like to study. The research work from the trainees enhances their education while also bringing better care to our patients.

“We wrote the book on pediatric orthopedics – literally.” 

  • Our doctors are currently working on the next volume of Tachjian’s Pediatric Orthopaedics: From the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
  • The book is revised and updated every five years.
  • People around the world refer to it as the ‘go-to’ for pediatric orthopedics.
  • Videos of cases and surgeries are made to along with the textbook for people to reference and learn from throughout their education.
  • One of the very few medical textbooks written from one institution.
  • Each time the book must be revised, it continues our doctors’ education when they are rewriting their respective sections. This ultimately brings the best care back to our patients.

Then and now regarding the hospital’s fellowship program:

  • As it was then and is now, the patients always come first.
  • The impact of our doctors is now worldwide. Staff present research and lead educational sessions both nationally and internationally to share how Scottish Rite Hospital cares for children.
  • We have a responsibility to continue researching and teaching medical professionals to bring the best care to children now and into the future.
Improving Care with Patient Reported Outcome Measures

Improving Care with Patient Reported Outcome Measures

by | Nov 1, 2017 | Research & Innovation

The goals for providers at Scottish Rite Hospital are to understand symptoms and concerns, develop the best action plan for treatment and to ensure that treatment is effective. We use standard questionnaires, called patient reported outcome measures (PROM), as tools to help us accomplish these goals. Patients are asked to complete these during or just before clinic visits or procedures. They are asked to complete them on an iPad, tablet or on paper. The completed questionnaires may be used for treatment decisions as well as research. Staff orthopedist Henry Ellis, M.D. says, “PROMs are valuable communication tools that can help improve patient satisfaction, symptom management and enhance the quality of care for our patients.”

Below are common questions patients and their families have about the ’WHAT’, ‘WHY’ and ‘HOW’ in regards to these PROMs.

WHAT

What are patient reported outcome measures (PROMs)?
These are standard questionnaires that have been developed by medical experts and research teams across the country. Patients are asked to respond to these at various points throughout treatment. They help the health care team provide appropriate care based on the patient’s physical abilities, goals and emotions. The answers to these questionnaires, along with other information, can help us determine the effectiveness of the treatment.

WHY

Why do providers ask their patients to complete the PROM before they meet?
It is important to establish a baseline of how a patient is feeling and what they can do so we can easily identify changes over time.

Why do we use PROMs instead of just asking the questions during the appointment?
There are a few reasons questions may be asked in the form of a PROM instead of during the clinical visit. These forms are used at many hospitals outside of Scottish Rite Hospital and have been designed based on the patient’s age. The questions are asked in a very consistent format at all sites so the results can be compared across the larger populations. PROMs are a place for the patient to document their opinions, feelings and function, which are combined with the discussions with your provider to make the best treatment plan for you.

HOW

How do doctors know what questionnaires to use?
For specific conditions, there are series of questions that have been shown in previous research studies to effectively track improvement in the patient’s ability to function in day-to-day activities. A patient with a shoulder problem will be asked to answer different questions than a patient with a knee problem.

Filling out PROMs seems to make a visit take longer. How is Scottish Rite Hospital taking that into consideration?
Scottish Rite Hospital is very excited to be using electronic software designed for use by our patients. Although not all forms are available electronically just yet, teams of clinicians and researchers are working to get questionnaires available in electronic formats to be answered on an IPad or tablet. With the use of electronic systems, some of the PROMs can be combined to remove all duplicate questions. This will reduce the number of questions patients must complete. After a patient enters answers electronically, the software scores and organizes the answers so the results are available to the provider right away. Additionally, the electronic software systems allow us to send follow-up forms to patients electronically, in many cases, eliminating this step in the office.

How do PROMs help our researchers?
For studies that evaluate treatment options or outcomes, changes in symptoms and function can be measured in many ways. We can measure changes in bone length, joint angles or even tissue healing using advanced imaging techniques. The PROM provides a standardized and objective way for the patient to report progress and allows our team to track how our patients are improving over time. This information can improve the health and satisfaction of our patients, help identify the most effective treatments and ensure we are providing the best care we can.

Learn more about research conducted at Scottish Rite Hospital.

#SRHaccess Facebook LIVE Recap: The Future Frisco Campus

#SRHaccess Facebook LIVE Recap: The Future Frisco Campus

by | Oct 25, 2017 | Sports Medicine

On this week’s Facebook live, Vice President of North Campus Jeremy Howell and Assistant Chief of Staff Philip L. Wilson, M.D. joined us to discuss the future Frisco campus. Below is a recap of the conversation.

Watch this segment on Facebook.

Construction update:

  • The construction is running right on schedule.
  • Opening in the Fall of 2018

Who are our Frisco neighbors?

  • The Frisco campus is located on the northeast corner of Lebanon Road and Dallas North Tollway.
  • To the north, our direct neighbor is Frisco High School.
  • To the south is the new Wade Park development and the Frisco Star.

What is the difference between the Plano and the future Frisco campus?

  • Increased space to utilize more resources for expand services.
  • Operating rooms for day surgeries
  • Motion science lab
  • Physical therapy gym space
  • Overall clinical care advancements and updates to current services.

Facts about the structure:

  • 5 stories tall
  • 1st floor:
    • Conference rooms for community and physician education and outreach
    • State-of-the-art motion science lab for clinical and research purposes
    • Physical therapy gym to rehab sports injuries and general orthopedic conditions
  • 2nd floor:  
    • Outpatient clinics (sports medicine, fracture clinic, general orthopedics, orthotics and prosthetics)
  • 3rd floor: shelled for future growth
  • 4th floor: day surgery
  • 5th floor: offices for staff

What are the general orthopedic services that will be provided?

  • An expansion of what the team currently cares for at the Plano campus.
  • Hip disorders, scoliosis screening, foot and ankle, shoulder care, etc.

What is the benefit of being in Frisco?

  • 25% of the hospital’s patient population lives in a surrounding areas of Frisco.
  • The opportunity to enhance customer service by providing another point of access for our patients and their families to be cared for by our world-renowned specialists.
  • Frisco is a strong sports community. The Center for Excellence in Sports Medicine will be the anchor to the future campus, which will allow us to care for more athletes.

What will the state-of-the-art motion science lab offer at the new campus?

  • The lab will provide a better understanding of clinical problems of lower and upper extremity conditions whether a sports injury or general orthopedic condition.
  • The ability to analyze the function of each joint and muscle of a patient’s walking gait or throwing mechanics.
  • The opportunity to expand on various research projects.

Will the Scottish Rite Hospital traditions be present at the future campus?

  • Popcorn – yes, on the first floor in the atrium.
  • Volunteers – yes, in red coats just like at the main campus.
Inaugural Marybeth Ezaki/Peter Carter Visiting Professorship in Hand Surgery Hosted at Scottish Rite Hospital

Inaugural Marybeth Ezaki/Peter Carter Visiting Professorship in Hand Surgery Hosted at Scottish Rite Hospital

by | Oct 19, 2017 | Research & Innovation

Scottish Rite Hospital is hosting the inaugural Marybeth Ezaki/Peter Carter Visiting Professorship in Hand Surgery, October 20 and 21. It was established to honor Marybeth Ezaki, M.D. and Peter Carter, M.D., both world-renowned pediatric orthopedic hand surgeons. This two-day conference includes presentations and lectures from the visiting professor, hospital staff, and former trainees on the latest research and treatments for pediatric upper extremity patients.

Ezaki served as the director of hand services, and Charles E. Seay, Jr. Hand Center during her time at Scottish Rite Hospital. She celebrated her retirement in 2015, however she continues as a consultant on the hand team. Carter was a key member of the hospital’s hand team as an inventor and researcher to provide the best care to his young patients. Although he retired in 2007, Carter continues to be a strong influence through the hospital’s fellowship program.

Director of the Center for Excellence in Hand Disorders, Scott Oishi, M.D., F.A.C.S., is excited about this educational course and the opportunity to learn from various medical professionals from around the country. “We are delighted to host a conference specific to the treatment of pediatric hand differences,” says Oishi. “Ezaki and Carter contributed tremendously to our hand program here at the hospital. We look forward to the success of this first meeting, and those in the years to come to continue our mission of cultivating collaboration, research, and education to better patient care.”

The hospital is honored to host this year’s visiting professor, Stéhpane Guéro, M.D. Guéro currently works at the Institut Français de la Main in Paris and specializes in plastic and reconstructive surgery. He is a member of several medical societies and has been published in well-known orthopedic journals.

The Marybeth Ezaki/Peter Carter Visiting Professorship is another element of the hospital’s continued efforts to excel in patient care, research, and education. It is a privilege to honor two world-renowned hand surgeons through this conference to enhance our mission of providing the best possible care to children, both here and around the world.