University of Iowa Children's Hospital has been ranked 25th in the nation for the specialty area of kidney disorders by U.S.News & World Report's 2009 edition of "America's Best Children's Hospitals,” the most extensive listing of its kind, rating the nation's top 30 hospitals in general pediatrics and six pediatric specialties.
Patrick Brophy, MD, director of the division of pediatric nephrology, dialysis and transplantation, at UI Children’s Hospital, talks about what this ranking means to UI Children’s Hospital and pediatric patients:
What sort of kidney problems can children encounter?
Children are born with kidney problems. The biggest group of folks we see with kidney problems are infants who are born with congenital problems or birth defects of the genitourinary tract and the kidneys in particular. We do have youngsters that acquire diseases as they get older. Unlike our colleagues who look after adult patients where diabetes is the leading cause of renal failure, we see more structural problems in our infants and children.
Why should children with kidney disorders specifically see a pediatric kidney specialist?
This is a very important question. In general, pediatric nephrologists are trained pediatricians who specialize in nephrology in children. We are trained to deal with a lot of issues that arise during development, which means your growth spurts, your developmental stages that you go through.
We look after infants from the neonatal period—even preterm infants—all the way to the ages of 18, sometimes 21. In contrast, our colleagues who care for adult patients in internal medicine nephrology, are trained and deliver great care to their patients, but don’t necessarily have the expertise to deal with the troublesome two-year-old that requires dialysis three or four times a week and has to be still for about four hours.
There are real issues that come up and there’s a real difference in the patients that we treat. Recognizing the developmental issues; how the parents are affected; and how the siblings are affected, are very important in these issues.
What does it mean to be ranked by U.S.News & World Report as one of America’s Best Children’s Hospitals?
It’s quite an honor. First of all, this means we’re well regarded by our peers across the country. The rankings are based on a questionnaire sent to each program. We fill out those questionnaires and they’re assessed by U.S.World & News Report. After that, they assess that score which counts for about one-third of the overall score. After that, the questionnaire and the regard of the hospital or the program are sent on to experts in the field and they rank the program based on reputation. This says we have an excellent reputation across the country and we’re well regarded both nationally as a children’s hospital, and, in particular, with regard to pediatric kidney disease.
What is unique about the kidney disorders program at UI Children’s Hospital that resulted in the ranking?
We’re a full operational unit. We have the ability to provide cutting-edge care for infants, children, and adolescents in the areas of dialysis (both critical care as well as chronic dialysis).
We’re on the cutting edge in terms of transplantation. We recently transplanted our first infant in the past two years about two months ago. That youngster is doing exceptionally well.
We have a full complement of programs. We have a chronic kidney disease clinic that allows us to follow our children with kidney disease in a seamless fashion so we can provide dialysis care and/or transplantation when that need arises.
We also provide a comprehensive hypertension program and have an excellent nursing staff that I’m lucky to work with that give great care to our kids and patients.
We actually take care of the families, as well, which I think is a really important component of what we do.
One of my partners, Carla Nester, MD, is trained in both pediatric nephrology as well as internal medicine nephrology. She looks after both children and adults. She’s double boarded in both, so that allows us to have a really wonderful transition program when our kids are old enough for the internal medicine specialists. It really makes for a nice transition which can often be very tough on patients and families.
Why is this ranking important to families and children in general who are seen at UI Children’s Hospital?
They can rest assured that they’re seeing folks at a topnotch program in the country that’s well regarded, well respected, and provides cutting edge care.
Not only do we provide excellent clinical care, but we also have a big component of teaching our residents and our fellows. We are on the cutting edge in terms of our research and one of our goals is to have a triple threat—research, clinical, and education.
We’re becoming quite an ensconced member of the community, both in terms of the state of Iowa, as well as the hospital. I think one of the important things to mention is that we wouldn’t be able to have reached this goal without the cooperation and the interaction with our colleagues in all areas of pediatric medicine; particularly the ICUs, the hematology cancer programs, and such. It’s really important that we work as a team, and we really have an excellent team here.
How does this ranking reflect on the faculty and staff that work at UI Children’s Hospital?
The hospital itself is wonderful in terms of institutions and we are able to provide all aspects of complicated and complex care to our patients. Working together with the group as a whole in terms of our patients, from crucial care all the way through to child life and development, is really a wonderful opportunity to provide the best possible care for our children in the state of Iowa. |
