Challenges and hope leave a mark in the year at Pequeno Príncipe
The year is coming to an end, and Pequeno Príncipe wants to share some of its achievements with its supporters. We also want to wish to everyone that all the holiday celebrations that mark the end of 2022 are full of love, health and hope. These ingredients were present in the 365 days around here!
Those who followed 5 years old Gael’s fight against a giant tumor in his abdomen were thrilled with each achievement: the assertive diagnosis, the chemotherapy, the surgeries, the recovery of strength, the restore of appetite, walking and playing again! There were great battles and meaningful accomplishments after traveling a long way throughout Brazil in search of a team capable of treating his rare condition. Gael’s story sums up what 2022 was like at Pequeno Príncipe Hospital: a year of many ordeals, but of great hope, in which the excellence of the professionals made the difference.
The year started with a burst of cases of COVID-19 in children. In just the first three months, Pequeno Príncipe assisted more infected children than throughout the entire year of 2021. The month of January was unbeaten, with a total of 603 positive cases and 72 hospitalizations. However, it was also in January that children from 5 to 11 years old began to be vaccinated. For the smallest, aged 3 to 5 years, vaccination started in July, and for babies aged 6 months to 2 years, only in November, leaving families and health professionals with a mixed feeling of apprehension and hope.
Gradually, the severity of COVID-19 cases decreased, as did the number of infected people. With the improvement in the scenario, the Hospital was able to resume some activities that had been interrupted at the beginning of the pandemic, such as the presence of volunteers, who made Gael’s stay in Pequeno Príncipe more buoyant. We were also able to resume visits to the ICUs.
The care given to those who care for the little patients was also highlighted throughout the year. The fourth dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 was offered to an approximate number of 3,000 employees, and an outpatient clinic for suspected cases of monkeypox was provided for them. Recognition activities, such as birthday celebrations and workplace gymnastics, were also resumed in-person. Training courses continued to be offered, so that each professional can achieve self-development and provide an increasingly qualified service.
Upon completing 103 years, the excellence of the institution was once again recognized. The institution achieved the 87th position in the ranking of best pediatric hospitals in the world, organized by the American magazine Newsweek.
Excellence in assistance
Like Gael, many other children and adolescents from all over Brazil found a highly qualified team to take care of their health at Pequeno Príncipe. These small patients have something in common, which are the very complex conditions that require the assistance of professionals from different specialties. At Pequeno Príncipe, children are provided with teams from 35 different specialties.
Throughout the year, the institution recorded important assistance milestones, such as the celebration of the 400th bone marrow transplant and the 50th liver transplant. Unprecedented procedures in Brazil were also performed through interventional radiology, a relatively new specialty in the world, but that already counts on a well-trained team at Pequeno Príncipe.
The great knowledge existing within the Hospital is increasingly being shared and benefiting more and more children. Through telemedicine, Pequeno Príncipe specialists are assisting patients in Paranaguá, on the coast side of Paraná, and Iguape, in the inland of state of São Paulo, as a result of agreements signed with the public authorities of these cities. There is also an initiative in partnership with the Curitiba City Hall that provides teleguidance for physicians from two emergency care units (UPAs, abbreviation in Portuguese), which results in the qualification of primary care.
Pequeno Príncipe has also shared its knowledge regarding the rational use of antibiotics with other hospitals. The institution’s Antimicrobial Stewardship Program was systematized and is being replicated in ten other hospitals in Brazil.
Humanization of care
Many humanization programs at Pequeno Príncipe Hospital are pioneers and forerunners of public policies. This is an extremely valuable guideline for the institution, which believes in the power of humanization to even improve care indicators, favoring a faster recovery and promoting hospital discharge.
In 2022, the Pequeno Príncipe’s hospital psychology attendances completed 40 years. This service is responsible for structuring the Participating Family, the institution’s main humanization program. The Education and Culture Sector also celebrated an important date: 20 years of its inauguration. To make the party complete, face-to-face activities were resumed. Gael and his family had the opportunity to receive this humanized care.
Teaching multiplication
In the training of professionals, Pequeno Príncipe celebrated the 50th anniversary of its medical residency program in pediatrics. There was also the launch of Multiplica PP, a portal that brings together the most complete, in-depth and up-to-date knowledge courses on child and adolescent health. Accessible to professionals from all over the country, the two initiatives reinforce Pequeno Príncipe’s commitment to the dissemination of knowledge and training of new professionals, specialized in child and youth health.
Qualifying professionals from all over Brazil is a way of giving boys like Gael, who live in cities with fewer medical resources, the opportunity to have earlier diagnoses. In complex cases, the sooner treatment begins, the greater the chances of healing and life!
Research
In science, many projects stood out. Upon completing 16 years, the Pelé Pequeno Príncipe Research Institute had one of its teams invited to contribute to a World Health Organization (WHO) program aimed at radiation control during imaging tests in children. Scientists are also involved in organizing important events to discuss biotechnological routes in Paraná.
Biological dressings, cell production, new treatments for COVID-19, discoveries of genetic mutations with an impact on cancer and COVID-19, greater understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and many other research projects were developed. Many of these studies are translational, that is, they directly benefit patients.
One of the results of the Research Institute was the implementation of the Pequeno Príncipe Genomic Laboratory, still in 2018. Year after year, the laboratory has increased its portfolio of exams, sophisticating the assistance. It was one of those exams that allowed the medical teams to finalize Gael’s diagnosis and reshape all the conduct that had been adopted in the treatment. An exam was able to change the life story of the boy and his family.
Looking to the future
For many other boys like Gael to have the opportunity to live, Pequeno Príncipe needs to look to the future. And this look has turned into a strategic plan that is bringing about some changes in the institution, from the management point of view. New vice-management were implemented, focusing on assistance and innovation.
The reputation of Pequeno Príncipe on the international scene was also underlined in 2022. The institution was invited to join the Children’s Hospital’s International Executive Forum – CHIEF, which brings together CEOs of the 38 main pediatric teaching and research hospitals worldwide.
Mobilization of society
Having society by its side is what allows Pequeno Príncipe to attain many achievements, year after year. In 2022, it was no different. In order to celebrate the partnership with thousands of companies and individuals that support the institution, face-to-face events were resumed, such as the Night of the Chefs and the Pequeno Príncipe Gala. And Gael was present at one of these events, telling his incredible story, which was also only possible because of this support.
The Hospital also mobilized society towards important health-related issues, such as cancer in children and adolescents, congenital heart diseases, rare diseases, the fight against violence against boys and girls and many other relevant issues.
Another aspect of the mobilization that gained prominence this year was the dissemination of knowledge through social networks. The Pequeno Príncipe YouTube channel was recognized by the platform for the quality of the content produced and as an important tool in the fight against fake news. The institution was awarded with the certification seal and recognized by the Ministry of Health, which reinforces the quality of everything that is done at the Pequeno Príncipe. A hospital that looks to the future and works hard to “be the best place in the world to receive and multiply healthcare for children and adolescents”.
Click below and watch the 2022 retrospective.
