Pediatric Quality of Life Clinic

When a child experiences a traumatic injury – such as a sports injury, car crash, gunshot wound or other cause – the impact can last well beyond the initial treatment of the injury and reverberate through the entire family. The child may have lingering pain – perhaps nightmares – or may have difficulty returning to the life they had led before the injury. The parent(s) or guardian(s) may need help balancing childcare and work responsibilities, accessing follow-up care or navigating the cost of treatment.

Often, families do not have resources to support them throughout the complicated process of post-injury care. A team of researchers led by Katy Flynn-O’Brien, MD, MPH, assistant professor of surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin, decided to step in and provide that support. The group launched the Pediatric Quality of Life Clinic, which offers personalized, trauma-informed multidisciplinary care to help patients fully reintegrate into their communities post-injury, as well as improved communication to families about the types of care and resources available to them.

The researchers collaborated with a community advisory board consisting of community organizations, patients, families and providers, to determine what services and programs the center should offer. The insights provided by the board ensured that the clinic’s services and programs addressed the many different aspects of post-injury recovery to help alleviate the disruptive force a traumatic injury can have on a young patient and their family.

Artwork:
Quinn Blackshere

Research:
Katy Flynn-O’Brien, MD MPH
Emmanuel L. Abebrese, MD
Hannah Olson, BS

Soundtrack:
Alex Boyes

Digital Illustration - 2024