OZ (Optimization Zone) is a play-based learning program for our patients under the age of five. This one-of-a-kind initiative aims to reduce the adverse developmental impacts that accompany long-term hospitalization. Ranken Jordan staff recognize that we are charged with caring for many young patients during a critically important window of early childhood development growth, a time when children are developing foundational skills for all future learning. This responsibility, along with our mission to get patients up and out of bed as much as possible, drove the creation of OZ. The OZ team includes: an OZ coordinator, Child Life Specialists, Psychologists, Physical, Speech, and Occupational Therapy Professionals, Therapy Technicians, Nurses, Respiratory Therapists and volunteers. This team works in consultation with our medical and infection prevention teams to meet patients’ health needs. This program is an essential part of our Care Beyond the Bedside® philosophy because it is focused on getting patients up and out of their beds to engage with each other.

Medical studies, such as a Chicago study of children with tracheostomies and ventilators recently discharged home, find that nearly 80% of these patients perform below the 5^th percentile in developmental activities and mobility. “Giving these patients more exposure to developmental opportunities like the OZ program will help close the gap,” Dr. Wallace says.

OZ was created by the Committee to Assure Neuro-Developmental Optimization (CAN-DO). This committee was developed to formalize, enhance, and establish neurodevelopmental evaluation and programming for the inpatient population under the age of five. CAN-DO believes that inpatients will benefit from a more robust outcome-driven approach to combating the negative effects of prolonged hospitalization on typical child development. Goals of CAN-DO include standardizing screening and assessment, incorporating therapeutic goals across disciplines into daily routines, and developing educational programming for patients, caregivers, and staff.

In May 2021, CAN-DO embarked on a time motion study. The goal of this study was to analyze what patients in this age range were doing during waking hours. This study showed that on average these patients spent 1 hour and 45 minutes a day out of their rooms. Compared to most hospitals, this amount of time spent out of their rooms is great, but for the Ranken Jordan CAN-DO team, it was not enough. A second time motion study was conducted in May 2022, three months after the initial start of OZ. The results showed that with OZ, patients in this age range now spend an average of 3 hours a day out of their rooms, a 84% improvement.