Annual Memoir

However, during the second half of the year, once the wave of pediatric infections was under control, we saw a significant rise in out-of-season respiratory illnesses brought on by other pathogens. The combination of these factors resulted in a slightly lower hospitalisation rate than expected, and therefore, a higher outpatient and emergency care demand.

In any case, the patients we attended were just as complex. Another important figure is that of our telemedicine programme, reaching 40% remote outpatient activity. We also continued our international cooperation efforts despite the pandemic, with more than 4,100 patient requests in 2022.

Our offering of high-complexity procedures has been widened thanks to the incorporation of augmented reality in surgical procedures, the approval of 3D surgical planning and new at-home healthcare programmes in high-complexity oncology and mental health cases.

• Transcranial magnetic stimulation system: The Pediatric Neuromodulation Unit has incorporated a new transcranial magnetic stimulation system into their unit. This new diagnostic and therapeutic technology can generate a 3D model of internal brain structures, creating a functional map of the eloquent motor and linguistic regions. This map can be transferred to the surgical planning station and then, if needs be, to surgical neuronavigation. From a therapeutic perspective, this technology is used to treat neuropsychiatric symptoms, neurodevelopmental symptoms, and those arising from neurovascular damage.
• Consolidating the role of the hospital pediatrician: The hospital pediatrician assumes responsibility for medical decisions made about patients admitted to the surgical department. In 2022, we evaluated the proof of concept carried out in the neurosurgery, general surgery and orthopedics and traumatology wards. The results support the suitability and proposed expansion of this new care programme that seeks to provide surgical patients with comprehensive care and which focuses a large part of its efforts on managing pain and anxiety.
• Sports medicine as a therapeutic option: The Sports Medicine Department, created in 2014, offers targeted services for both the general population and also amateur sports players. It involves the use of physical activity and sport as a preventative and therapeutic measure in healthcare. As such, having a sports therapist's perspective at the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital can only be beneficial to patients and staff. During 2022, this department supported and worked alongside several other clinical departments, both on a preventative and a therapeutic level: Endocrinology, Women’s Health, Cardiology, Mental Health, Oncology and Health Education.

Guía del adolescente para la transición a hospital de adultos

El Hospital ha publicado la Guía Digital de Transición A10!, una herramienta para ayudar a los pacientes pediátricos y a sus familias en la transición al hospital de adultos. Hasta octubre de 2022 se han realizado 1.497 transferencias, de las que el 50 % corresponden a pacientes con enfermedades minoritarias. Los principales centros receptores han sido los hospitales Clínic de Barcelona, Bellvitge, Vall d'Hebron y Sant Pau.

Durante el año 2022 se han formalizado nuevas alianzas con hospitales de adultos (Parc Taulí, Mataró o Granollers, entre otras) y otras instituciones (Aspace). Entre otras acciones destacadas, se han elaborado protocolos específicos y se han llevado a cabo visitas conjuntas hospital pediátrico - hospital de adultos - paciente y familia. También se ha realizado una evaluación del programa desde tres perspectivas complementarias: experiencia del paciente, experiencia del profesional y visión institucional, lo que ha permitido establecer un plan de acción de mejora.

Atención espiritual (SAER)

El Servicio de Atención Espiritual y Religiosa (SAER) ha seguido desplegando su labor asistencial y de difusión del conocimiento durante el año 2022. En el ámbito asistencial, ha incrementando la actividad en las áreas de mayor complejidad del Hospital, como neonatos, La Casa de Sofía, Crónicos y Paliativos (C2P2) y también en el PCCB. Es destacable el gran avance que ha experimentado la integración de la atención espiritual como una dimensión básica en la práctica asistencial. Asimismo, el SAER coordina dos programas presenciales de meditación en el centro y el podcast Sonidos del Silencio SJD, desarrollado con la colaboración del Departamento de Márqueting y Comunicación. Finalmente, el SAER del Hospital despliega una gran labor docente y de investigación.

Trabajo social

El Servicio de Trabajo Social ha atendido a un total de 3.545 familias (11.763 visitas). A través de la Obra Social de Sant Joan de Déu, ha prestado apoyo económico a 983 familias mediante ayudas de cafetería, transporte, intérpretes, tratamientos de ortodoncia u otras necesidades derivadas de la salud y no cubiertas por la Administración pública.

Asimismo, se ha establecido un convenio de colaboración entre el Hospital, el Hospital Universitario de Bellvitge y diferentes asociaciones dedicadas pacientes con distrofia hereditaria de retina a fin de prestar atención social a las familias con hijos afectados por esta enfermedad. Por otra parte, se ha realizado la I edición del curso de formación Infancia y salud: atención social y sanitaria en el contexto hospitalario (Aula de Pediatría SJD).

Hospital Amic

• Child Life: Durante el año 2022, el Servicio de Child Life ha atendido a 2.333 pacientes y familias en el hospital y a 111 pacientes y familias en La Casa de Sofía. El equipo ha iniciado también su atención en el PCCB, donde se ha integrado la figura Child Life en el equipo, participando en los huddles de hospitalización, y en el pase de Hospital de Día. Se han desplegado acciones del Hospital Amic, (arte, música y payasos) y, como novedad, se ha introducido la terapia asistida con perros en el ámbito de la Consulta Externa. Se han iniciado también actividades grupales de música y arte, complementarias al programa “La Fábrica de Magia” de Voluntarios. Además de la incorporación de la magia como recurso terapéutico, tanto en las plantas de Hospitalización infantil como en el PCCB, se ha iniciado la práctica de yoga con niños con retinoblastoma en la UCA. En La Casa de Sofía, también se ha desarrollado el programa con música (destacamos el pediatra violinista), arte y payasos, además de talleres de juego desarrollados por voluntarios.
• Voluntariado: El equipo de voluntariado ha incrementado su dotación hasta las 300 personas, consolidando su labor en La Casa de Sofía y en el PCCB. En 2022 ha puesto en marcha algunas nuevas acciones y programas como: "Hospitality”, para detectar necesidades y participar en la acogida de los pacientes; "Jóvenes voluntarios de verano", dirigido a jóvenes entre 16 y 18 años para dar servicio al PCCB; "Música en el hall", gracias al que estudiantes de música, pacientes, familias y profesionales amenizan semanalmente con música la entrada al hospital, o la celebración de la 1ª edición de editores de libros inspirados en experiencias vitales vividas en el Hospital. Destaca especialmente el proyecto “La Fábrica de Magia”, que surge con el propósito de garantizar el derecho al juego de los pacientes. Para ello, voluntarios y colaboradores destinan su tiempo y habilidades para impulsar actividades lúdicas. Entre febrero y octubre de 2022, han realizado 88 talleres, con la participación de 598 pacientes y 615 padres y madres.

Flat Management-style system

• Huddles strategy, a system that uses short meetings to facilitate multidisciplinary discussion of a situation in any of the 23 departments across the Hospital.
• Grupo Operaciones Asistenciales [Healthcare Operations Group] (GOA), a coordination effort in which professionals from various healthcare fields come together to discuss, agree on and implement processes, with a view to both activity level and quality. This model has been replicated in larger areas such as Mental Health and the PCCB.
• Healthcare hub, consisting of weekly meetings with upper management and heads of departments, nursing, and the Planning, Patient Experience and Quality, and International departments.

Clinical safety

• Promoting safe practice (considering aspects ranging from correct patient identification to medication safety).
• Prevention and control of infection (with hand-washing being a key element).
• Safe surgery (to plan out and ensure adherence to checklists during scheduled surgical procedures).
• Safety incident report management (with a decentralised model, multidisciplinary analysis and professional response).

EMC²

The EMC² improvement model has been just as active, with 2022 seeing new additions to the management teams of both Innovation and People and Values, bringing fresh perspectives to our work. One of our newest innovations has been incorporating quicker methodology to develop smaller-scale projects.

We have workde on 59 improvement plans in line with the EMC² model, ranging from the Respir programme for families, to care in A&E.

Budget balancing

Yearly billing in 2022 has reached 299 million Euros, with a continually balanced cash flow. Staff pay has increased by 3.5%. This increase in costs has been financed by a rise in CatSalut tariffs (+3.49%).

Diversifying funding

Our strategy to diversify our funding routes helps us keep a balanced cash flow: launching the Hospital Friend programme, renovating the technology park, maintaining high levels of research activity, and running charitable projects.

Creation of the Data Office

The Hospital has created the Data Office (DAM&GO), a body to manage the efficient organisation of Hospital data in response to growing healthcare, administrative and investigative data needs.

Twinning programme with the Hospital Saint John of God in Sierra Leone

Thanks to the support of particular entities, special donors, and also the teaming programme for our own Hospital employees, this year we have been able to bring the following programmes to life:

• Sponsor a child in Sierra Leone.
• External residency pediatrics rotations at the Lunsar Hospital.
• The “Africa Smiles” programme.
• Nutritional rehabilitation programme.
• ICARIA research project.

Cuida’m Programme

In 2022, despite facing several travel difficulties relating to visa issues, 14 children were able to receive treatment thanks to the Cuida’m Programme. The children we treated came from countries such as: Sierra Leone, Nicaragua, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritius, Tanzania, Senegal, Zanzibar, Venezuela and Peru.

The PCCB Charity Fund Programme

This programme allowed us to welcome three new patients from Cameroon, Colombia and Ghana in 2022. Furthermore, we were able to treat a baby from Indonesia with bilateral retinoblastoma: the child's eye had already been enucleated, and there were no treatment options in their home country.

Consolidation of our charity Odontology office

In 2022, our charity odontology office has been providing dental care to children and adults in vulnerable social and economic situations.

Other partnership programmes

• Collaboration on the pediatric healthcare and oxygen use training project in Morocco.
• Mother-and-child education project on the Ivory Coast.
• Erasmus+ Project HITIHE.

Alignment with SDGs

2022 saw the first phase of this project come to life, with our focus being set on two goals: compiling our in-progress programmes that are related to any of the UN 17 SDGs for the 2030 Agenda; and Benchmarking the SDGs of other entities.

This initial analysis has allowed us to see that the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital is carrying out many programmes that already align with the SDGs: 179 actions counted, 143 of which are already in-effect. Furthermore, in addition to the SDG that most aligns with the SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being), we have proposed the integration of a further five SDGs (12, 17, 10, 4 and 8) which we consider to be most relevant for Hospital involvement.

Assessing psychosocial risk and renewing environmental certifications

In 2022, after two years of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, we set our sights on getting back to normality with our Occupational Risk Prevention activities.