Not Child's Play

Designing products for children with chronic illnesses or disabilities is not child's play. It can often be compared to the game of Chutes and Ladders, in which some moves drive you to the head of the game and others take you back to the starting point. Fortunately, manufacturers recognize these differences and continue to create solutions that are sized just right.

“Children and teenagers are not ‘little adults,’ which is how pediatric patients have often been viewed,” says Dr. Robert D. Hoover Jr., chief medical officer for DeVilbiss Healthcare. “Manufacturers are recognizing this fact and are developing products and programs specifically suited to the younger age groups.”

Hide and Seek: Clinical Breakthroughs Offer Advanced Care for Kids

A key trend occurring in the pediatric mobility market is the need for early intervention, addressing needs sooner and acknowledging the benefits. “Therapists are finding that the earlier they can start taking care of these children in all aspects means they will get better results in the long term,” says Sue Johnson, Convaid's director of sales and marketing.

“Early intervention programs are typically home-based, so the therapists are going into the homes and providing products that the parents can use. They are making creative uses of non-medical products or traditional baby products by adding additional padding or support … providing creative solutions for the smaller kids.”

On the respiratory side, clinical awareness of pediatric conditions continues to escalate.

“Increasingly, the clinical community is seeing growth in various illnesses affecting the pediatric population, including pediatric asthma and obstructive sleep apnea,” explains Hoover. “The pediatric asthma upsurge is primarily due to an increase in both outdoor and indoor allergens and the pediatric OSA driver is primarily the result of the obesity problem plaguing the younger age group. Only recently has the clinical community started to address these problems.”

For manufacturers of pediatric home medical equipment, the drive to develop innovative products and solutions for everyday challenges is based on their customers' needs — from HME providers to referral sources and, most important, end-users.