Riley Forms Sister Relationship With Chinese Hospital

07/24/2008

Reprinted courtesy of Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick

Known for being one of the nation's leading pediatric hospitals, it's understood that Riley Hospital for Children has touched - and saved - thousands of young lives in Indiana. Hospital leaders are now looking to increase involvement internationally by changing the lives of children on the other side of the world. Riley has just become an international sister hospital with the Capital Institute of Pediatrics of Beijing - a city where the medical needs of children are great and the impact of Riley's involvement can be even greater.

"I think it's very important for Indiana to get accustomed to dealing with the rest of the world. I think we have a lot to give and a lot to learn," says Dr. Howard Eigen, director of pediatric pulmonology and critical care at Riley and the IU School of Medicine. "In Indiana, we underestimate the good qualities that we have and resources we have. I think this will focus Indiana on how much we can benefit the rest of the world, both in basic science and clinical medicine." Listen

Riley Physician-in-Chief Dr. Richard Schreiner says international sister hospitals are rare in the medical world - often hindered by lack of resources and leadership.

"Like anything, it takes one person in each place to not only take the initiative, but actually push it and push it and push it, and that's what Dr. Eigen has done here," says Schreiner. "Then it takes that one person to stick with it. It takes a real leader to know how to get things done."

Riley and the Capital Institute have been trading physicians for nearly a decade. Riley medical staff would travel to Beijing to collaborate with physicians there and medical staff from the Capital Institute would visit Riley to observe its environment. After many years of exchanging ideas and medical staff, leaders at both hospitals agreed formalizing a link as international sister hospitals would promote even further collaboration.

"It's just like business. The world is getting a lot smaller," says Schreiner. "Certainly, China is going to be a very important player in lots of things in the future. Their healthcare for children, albeit still quite behind ours, is moving forward rapidly. If we can impact the health of children in China, just think of the millions of kids that we can benefit there." Listen

The numbers are staggering. The Capital Institute treats over one million outpatients each year, compared to Riley's 150,000. As a result, Eigen says "the multiplier factor is fantastic. If we can change some aspect of medical practice at the Capital Institute, that can affect a huge number of patients."

Leaders at the Capital Institute believe the relationship will give their medical staff opportunities to gain further training in their disciplines, observe Riley physicians, and as a result, take new techniques and medical knowledge back to China. The Dean of the Capital Institute visited the Riley campus when the international sister relationship was formalized.

"He was the first to admit their facilities and their programs are not up to ours in this country. I think they'll learn not only how to take care of patients in different ways and better ways, but also how to teach in different ways and better ways," says Schreiner. "I also think sharing research ideas will be mutually beneficial to those of us who work at Riley and those who work at the Capital Institute."

Riley physicians say the massive number of patients at the Capital Institute could translate into groundbreaking research for both hospitals. For Riley, it could cause clinical trials to be completed much more quickly than in the U.S. Additionally, physicians will be able to make important comparisons between American and Chinese children. For example, Riley physicians are considering a study to examine the side effects for children who take steroids to treat asthma - an illness burdening many children in the heavily polluted city of Beijing. Listen

In addition to pediatric lung disease, the two hospitals will also focus their efforts on pediatric endocrinology and pediatric neurology.

In the immediate future, leaders at Riley anticipate there will be greater exchange of medical staff between the two hospitals. As the months and years progress, they hope to be heavily involved in research programs that examine the unique differences in patient population with children from two different cultures. Listen

"It's just starting out," says Schreiner. "It's just a little thing right now, but this could be a really big thing ten years from now." Listen

In addition to the medical and research benefits, Schreiner says Riley's interactions with the Capital Institute will challenge and inspire its medical staff to be the best possible caregivers. Leaders at Riley believe the new relationship is evidence of the hospital's commitment to changing the lives of children not just in Indiana or the Midwest, but around the world.