HM Nens Hospital reinforces assistance for neurodivergent children and adolescents

Reducing the stress associated with healthcare and improving the experience and well-being during the hospital stay of children and adolescents with autism, ADHD, or learning disorders is the goal of the new care model at the HM Nens Hospital in Barcelona. The initiative is developed through a transversal plan that includes care protocols, communication with patients, training for professionals, and support for families, as well as the progressive adaptation of spaces.

Adapting healthcare to the needs of neurodivergent people responds to a reality that affects a significant part of the population. It is estimated that between 15% and 20% of people present a neurological development different from what is considered statistically typical. The concept of neurodivergence refers to the different ways of processing information, perceiving the environment, learning, or experiencing emotions and thoughts. It encompasses conditions such as autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, dyspraxia, and other learning disorders.

Noise, intense lighting, waiting times, physical contact, being in an unknown space, or not being able to anticipate what will happen during an examination or test can increase the stress of some neurodivergent patients during their visit to the hospital. The Neurodivergent Patient Care Plan at HM Nens Hospital takes these particularities into account to ensure that healthcare is more accessible for these children and adolescents and adapts to the individual needs of each one.

Involving the whole hospital

One of the main objectives of HM Nens Hospital is to promote the early detection and diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders, in order to design personalized intervention programs that take into account the strengths and needs of each patient.

This new model not only takes into account the specialized services for treating these patients, but also any kind of care that a child or adolescent with neurodivergence who comes to the hospital may require. For this reason, protocols have been implemented to attend to them in consultations, emergencies, hospitalization, radiology, laboratory, and even dentistry, in addition to providing specific training to all the centre's professionals. It is also planned to expand the agreements that the hospital maintains with social entities, to coordinate the integrated care that these patients and their families need, and a Neurodivergence Observatory has been created that will promote research on these conditions and will disseminate the results to extend the new model to other hospitals.

Sensorially friendly

The plan includes the creation of spaces that allow for the reduction of stimuli such as noise, lighting intensity, crowds, or certain visual elements that can cause sensory overload. Along the same lines, more accessible signage is being incorporated through visual elements and pictograms that make it easier to navigate around the hospital.

Among the actions is the Calm Box in the emergency department, conceived as a quiet and safe environment for minors who need to reduce the level of stimulation during their care. This space, planned within the program, will include adjustable lighting, materials to reduce noise, noise-canceling headphones, visual supports, and sensory and self-regulation materials. Although it is specially designed for neurodivergent patients, it may also be used by other minors who need it. Other measures to adapt the hospital include a quiet blood draw room in the laboratory and support materials for the different services.

The driving team of the Neurodivergent Patient Care Plan at Hospital HM Nens includes, among others, Dr. Miguel Ángel Hernández, neuropediatrician, Dr. Violeta Bittermann, pediatrician and head of research at HM Hospitales Catalunya, Dr. Silvia Fernández, child psychologist, Dr. Fernanda Espinosa, child psychiatrist, and Montserrat Sagarra, social worker.

"This project represents a step forward in our care model and responds to the commitment of Hospital HM Nens to offer pediatric care that is increasingly adapted to the needs of each patient. Incorporating neurodivergence throughout the hospital journey allows us to advance towards more accessible and personalized care, improving the experience of children and adolescents and their families", remarks Dr. Marc Tarruella, medical director of the center.

HM Nens Hospital

C/ Consell de Cent, 437, Barcelona

93 523 05 55

hmnens.com