Unique program to get pediatric residents to think outside the box

As part of a unique program to get pediatric residents to think outside the box, Indiana University School of Medicine pediatric residents are being taught to reach their patients outside the confines of the traditional health care system.

I.U. School of Medicine pediatric residents are reaching out to Indianapolis' growing Hispanic population. A call-in show, Preguntale al Pediatra (Ask the Pediatrician), airs monthly on 107.1 FM, Radio Latina. Spanish-speaking listeners, a population which has been underserved by the traditional structure of healthcare, can call in with health questions and receive accurate information in their own language.

"Preguntele al Pediatra promotes health for children and their families. The show educates our growing Hispanic immigrant community in health issues and identifies community and health resources available to them and, very importantly, how to access these resources. Since its inception in July 2003, the radio show has also served as a tool to teach pediatric residents the importance of using the media to promote community health," said Alvaro Tori, M.D., a pediatrics resident and frequent show host physician.

In another innovative program, dozens of IU School of Medicine pediatric residents are putting their newly minted medical degrees to work at Indianapolis' Julian Center, a unique, nonprofit agency providing counseling, safe shelter, and education for women and children who are survivors of domestic violence and abuse.

In addition to the patient's vital signs, test results and physical examination, the pediatric residents consider the patient's home and community environments - do the parents smoke?; is a parent abusive?; how will the family's cultural beliefs affect my advice? - as the physicians minister to their young patients in ways that harkin back to general practitioners of fifty years ago.

"When a mother who is a victim of domestic violence leaves home, her children are usually cut off from their medical care provider," said Stephen Downs, M.D., M.S., associate professor of pediatrics at the IU School of Medicine and director of Children's Health Services Research. "Our pediatric residents provide a transitional "medical home" for the children of women at the Julian Center, making sure that immunizations are up-to-date, that their dietary needs are being met and that chronic and acute medical problems are being addressed."

"Most pediatricians have not and do not receive this kind of education, most are not taught to be advocates for children's health. We are able to provide this invaluable of training because our faculty is dedicated to the concept and because we have been funded by the Dyson Foundation to develop innovative programs," said Dr. Downs.