title: Implementing a pediatric obesity care guideline in a freestanding children's hospital to improve child safety and hospital preparedness.
abstract: Medical and surgical care of children with severe obesity is complicated and requires recognition of the problem, appropriate equipment, and safe management. There is little literature describing patient, provider, and institutional needs for the severely obese pediatric patient. Nonetheless, the limited data suggest 3 broad categories of needs unique to this population: (a) airway management, (b) drug dosing and pharmacology, and (c) equipment and infrastructure. We describe an opportunity at the Children's Hospital Colorado to better prepare and optimize care for this patient population by creation of a Pediatric Obesity Care Guideline that focused on key areas of quality and safety.
authors.affiliation: Section of Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, USA. renee.porter@childrenscolorado.org
authors.forename: Renee M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Porter
authors.forename: Jodi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Thrasher
authors.forename: Nancy F
authors.initials: NF
authors.lastname: Krebs
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002669:Child Welfare; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003120:Colorado; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009767:Obesity, Morbid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D061214:Patient Safety; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000592:standards*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic / Q000592:standards*; D019984:Quality Indicators, Health Care