What is the ONE VOICE approach?
Being a patient can be an incredibly daunting experience for anyone, but for children and teenagers, the healthcare environment can be especially traumatic due to their unique ways of processing information. Emotional safety is paramount in pediatric care, and that’s where ONE VOICE comes in. This initiative is dedicated to transforming the healthcare experience for young patients by fostering a calmer, more reassuring environment.
The ONE VOICE approach is a comprehensive strategy that encourages everyone involved to meticulously evaluate the surroundings, communicate effectively, assign clear roles, and develop a cohesive, shared game plan. By implementing ONE VOICE, we can significantly enhance the emotional well-being of our pediatric patients, ensuring they feel safe and supported. This not only benefits the children but also creates a more positive and collaborative atmosphere for healthcare staff.
For more than 30 years, the ONE VOICE approach has been teaching healthcare providers how to create a more emotionally safe environment during medical procedures. Developed by Debbie Wagers, MHA, CCLS, a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), the ONE VOICE approach identified multiple common practices that cause children anxiety and replaced them with ways healthcare professionals could minimize those stressors. There are so many things that healthcare professionals can do to help lessen the trauma during medical procedures. Here are eight elements that make a difference.
One voice should be heard during procedure
Need parental involvement
Educate the patient before the procedure
Validate child with your words
Offer comfort position and pain management
Individualize your game plan
Choose appropriate distraction to be used
Eliminate unnecessary people not actively involved
The ONE VOICE approach is a comprehensive strategy that encourages everyone involved to meticulously evaluate the surroundings, communicate effectively, assign clear roles, and develop a cohesive, shared game plan. By implementing ONE VOICE, we can significantly enhance the emotional well-being of our pediatric patients, ensuring they feel safe and supported. This not only benefits the children but also creates a more positive and collaborative atmosphere for healthcare staff.
For more than 30 years, the ONE VOICE approach has been teaching healthcare providers how to create a more emotionally safe environment during medical procedures. Developed by Debbie Wagers, MHA, CCLS, a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS), the ONE VOICE approach identified multiple common practices that cause children anxiety and replaced them with ways healthcare professionals could minimize those stressors. There are so many things that healthcare professionals can do to help lessen the trauma during medical procedures. Here are eight elements that make a difference.
One voice should be heard during procedure
Need parental involvement
Educate the patient before the procedure
Validate child with your words
Offer comfort position and pain management
Individualize your game plan
Choose appropriate distraction to be used
Eliminate unnecessary people not actively involved
Trusted by healthcare professionals
around the globe
around the globe
MORE THAN 100 HOSPITALS HAVE PURCHASED AND IMPLEMENTED ONE VOICE THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES AND FIVE INTERNATIONAL COUNTRIES
What Professionals Are Saying
In Publication
We’ve all seen it happen….
The Less Effective Way….
There is an antiquated belief among some healthcare professionals about immunizations and they’re often able to convince unknowing parents that “The best way is to just hold them down and get it done fast.”
We often see kids being forced to lie down, parents standing nearby helplessly, children terrified, screaming and uncooperative, and when it’s over, children, their caregivers and staff are traumatized.
Did you know that when young children recount the trauma experienced during needles procedures, they often don’t even mention the poke? Instead, when they recount their stories through tears of trauma, they say, “They held me down.” It has been repeatedly shown that children who receive injections while lying report a higher incidence of pain, and that is usually intensified by being held down.
Have you ever thought, “There must be a better way?” There is.
We often see kids being forced to lie down, parents standing nearby helplessly, children terrified, screaming and uncooperative, and when it’s over, children, their caregivers and staff are traumatized.
Did you know that when young children recount the trauma experienced during needles procedures, they often don’t even mention the poke? Instead, when they recount their stories through tears of trauma, they say, “They held me down.” It has been repeatedly shown that children who receive injections while lying report a higher incidence of pain, and that is usually intensified by being held down.
Have you ever thought, “There must be a better way?” There is.
The Better Way…
Using the ONE VOICE approach helps minimize the chaos and trauma that children experience during medical procedures.
About
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of ONE VOICE is to educate healthcare professionals on providing an emotionally safe environment, thereby reducing the incidence of emotional trauma for children, families, and staff. Through this initiative, we aim to transform the way care is delivered to children in healthcare settings.
My name is Debbie Wagers, and I am a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and the creator of ONE VOICE. With nearly 40 years of experience as a CCLS, I have encountered many of the same challenges that you face daily.
The implementation of the ONE VOICE approach profoundly impacts the lives of the children and families we serve. I witness its effectiveness every day. My commitment to making a difference in pediatric healthcare drives me to continually advance ONE VOICE and spread its message. Each visitor to this website shares this commitment to making a difference. You have taken the first step; let ONE VOICE guide you further.
The mission of ONE VOICE is to educate healthcare professionals on providing an emotionally safe environment, thereby reducing the incidence of emotional trauma for children, families, and staff. Through this initiative, we aim to transform the way care is delivered to children in healthcare settings.
My name is Debbie Wagers, and I am a Certified Child Life Specialist (CCLS) and the creator of ONE VOICE. With nearly 40 years of experience as a CCLS, I have encountered many of the same challenges that you face daily.
The implementation of the ONE VOICE approach profoundly impacts the lives of the children and families we serve. I witness its effectiveness every day. My commitment to making a difference in pediatric healthcare drives me to continually advance ONE VOICE and spread its message. Each visitor to this website shares this commitment to making a difference. You have taken the first step; let ONE VOICE guide you further.
