Courtesy of St. Louis Children's Hospital
After 17 years of experience, nurse Paula Losito has heard it all on the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Answer Line (314-454-KIDS). “For some people, it’s hard not to laugh a little when they mispronounce things,” she says. “Sometimes people say things like, my child has RSVP when they mean RSV, which is a virus. We’ve gotten some doozies.” But apart from the funny moments, Losito’s job is one of the best health services for parents in the community. For more than 20 years, the answer line at St. Louis Chlidren’s Hospital has provided free advice and instruction pertaining to children through the age of 21 from registered pediatric nurses with an average of more than 10 years of experience. Although the Answer Line is not a substitution for a call to a physician or 911, parents can ask anything from whether their child’s fever is high enough to take them to the hospital to advice on potty-training. Earlier this week, we spoke with Losito about her advice for parents, back-to-school health tips, and more.
How did you get started working with the Answer Line?
I started working as a nurse at St. Louis Children’s Hopsital in the pediatric ICU. After working there for several years, my husband ran into one of the nurses who worked at the Answer Line and who convinced him that I should consider transferring. I talked to the supervisor at the time and decided to take the job. It’s been 17 years now.
What’s the best thing about working on the Answer Line as opposed to your time in the ICU?
Telephone triage is a completely different kind of nursing. You can’t see the patient, so you really have to depend on getting accurate information from the caller—it’s very rewarding. It’s a free service to the community, so we do benefit a lot of people who don’t have the resources or can’t get ahold of their doctor’s office. We even talk to people who are visiting St. Louis. It’s rewarding to be able to do that for our community.
What's the main reason people normally call the Answer Line? Is it for diagnosis more so than advice?
It’s probably both. Parents want to know how concerned they should be. They want to know if should they take the child to the doctor or the emergency room, if it's something that can wait, if there's something they should be doing at home. Oftentimes people want to know if their child can go to preschool or day care if they have something going on, and other times it’s just parenting issues: potty-training, sleep issues, picky eaters, you name it. Sometimes it’s just that the caller recently took their child to the doctor and they still have questions that they forgot to ask. Sometimes you’re kind of rushed out of the doctor’s office and you don’t get a chance to ask all those questions. We even get grandparents who are calling to find out more about something their grandchild was diagnosed with and what that means.
How much volume do you get in a week or a month?
We get more calls during the evening rather than during the day, but it also depends on the season. During flu season, we get a lot more calls about the cough and cold stuff. In the summertime, we hear a lot more about trauma, insect bites, and rashes. If there’s something in the news like a certain food being recalled or some sort of tick-borne illness, we’ll get an influx of calls about that.
What advice would you give to new parents?
I think it’s always a good idea to know your pediatrician, and even if your child is healthy, schedule one well visit per year. It's a good idea to take your child to the doctor when they’re not sick so that they aren't afraid to go later. Same with the dentist. As soon as those teeth are in, take them in to get their teeth checked and cleaned so they’re familiar with the experience.
Another big tip I would give someone is if you’re going to call the Answer Line, know your child’s weight and have your child with you. When nurses are doing telephone triage they can’t see the child, so we need the caller to be our eyes, and if the child is not with the caller, it’s hard for the nurses to get all the information. If you’re talking to the doctor especially, have a pharmacy phone number just in case. And if you’re concerned about a temperature, check the child’s temperature before you make the call.
With back-to-school season starting soon, what are your health tips for parents sending kids to school?
It’s a good idea to do that well child visit. A lot of kids have to get the physical anyway, so schedule that well visit and start talking to your kids about school and be excited about it. Start getting them up early, close to the time they’re going to be getting up and going to sleep during the school year. Getting a good night’s sleep and having something to eat in the morning before school is very important. Especially with the older kids who are sleeping in during the summer until noon, start getting them back into a more normal routine two or three weeks before school starts. If you can get them breakfast before they leave, that’s important too, but getting enough sleep is the most important thing.
Do the type and volume of calls you get change after school starts?
We start seeing a lot more of the cough and cold questions because kids are sharing their germs. Teaching your kids good hand-washing is important. The most important things in terms of preventing illness are adequate sleep, having a well-balanced diet, and hand-washing.
How can parents make sure their kids have a well-balanced diet once they go back to school?
Some kids eat the school lunch and some still take their lunch, but definitely try to include fruits and vegetables in their meals. When kids get home from school they’re always going to be hungry, so try to provide them with fruits and vegetables and other healthy snacks. Family dinners are something people are getting away from, but it’s always a good idea if you can sit down as a family and eat a well-balanced meal and then talk about your day.
