CHILDKIND INTERNATIONAL INC
This organization has already been registered
Someone in your organization has already registered and setup an account. would you like to join their team?Profile owner : i**o@c********************l.o*g
Mission Statement
Compassionate, pediatric care dictates treatment and, whenever possible, the prevention of pain; ChildKind International aims to prevent the needless suffering of children, no matter their site of care, by educating, evaluating and recognizing healthcare facilities that have developed standardized, institution-wide, collaborative approaches to the treatment and prevention of children’s pain, and certifying those institutions as ChildKind Certified Hospitals. ChildKind also maintains an open-access resource library that serves as a clearinghouse for vetted information and policy on treating pediatric pain, while providing technical assistance to institutions working to improve the quality of the pain management they provide.
About This Cause
ChildKind International is dedicated to promoting children's comfort, by improving the quality of pediatric pain care around the world. In the past 25 years the long-term negative biological, psychological, and social consequences of under-treated pain for children and their families have become clear. Although the knowledge base to recognize, prevent and treat pain has advanced dramatically, application of this knowledge has been uneven, even within the same institution, and as a result, children suffer unnecessarily. Research shows that any intervention in the prevention of pain, will have limited success unless it is perceived as representing a core institutional value, similar to confidentiality and safety. Armed with this research, ChildKind emerged from the Special Interest Group on Pain in Childhood of the International Association for the Study of Pain to provide incentive for institutions to incorporate pain control as one of their core values. An organizing meeting was held in Bellagio Italy in 2008 at the Rockefeller Foundation Study Center with the support of the Mayday Fund, the Institute of International Education, and the Rockefeller Foundation. Representatives of 14 countries as well as the WHO and the Baby Friendly Initiative attended. At that meeting, the basic criteria that would be necessary for ChildKind certification were established. They were: 1) An institutional commitment to pain prevention, assessment, and treatment. 2) Ongoing education programs and awareness initiatives on pain for staff, trainees, patients and any of their caregivers. 3) Use of evidence informed, developmentally appropriate processes for assessment of acute and chronic pain. 4) Specific evidence informed protocols for pain prevention and treatment including pharmacological, psychological, and physical methods. 5) Regular institutional self-monitoring within the framework of continuous quality improvement. It was felt that these core "ChildKind Principles" could be incorporated into the fabric any institution, regardless of resource availability, assuming adequate commitment; encouraging institution-wide excellence and standardization in the prevention and treatment of pain. ChildKind has 501 C3 status as a non-profit institution in the US. Four sites were initially selected to pilot the certification process (Boston Children’s Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto) and site visits were made to each of these facilities. They were subsequently awarded ChildKind designation. In total there are now 11 certified institutions. Internationally, the Brazilian government has funded pilot projects to incorporate ChildKind principles into two children’s hospitals, and we have initiated the certification process with our first hospital in Singapore. In addition, a searchable resource library has been established which houses free, open access pain-related policies, protocols, and educational modules. All ChildKing certified institutions are encouraged to submit their policies and protocols so that others may benefit from their expertise.