EP39 - AMDIS Roundtable - Beyond the digital front door: Empowering Pediatric Families in the Digital Age

What happens beyond the digital front door? In this AMDIS collaboration, Dr. Yaa Kumah-Crystal, Dr. Natalie Pageler, and Dr. Sarah Rush unpack the complex realities of digital family engagement in pediatric care. From patient portals and teen privacy laws to ambient documentation and AI-enabled translation, this panel explores how hospitals can rebuild trust, reduce barriers, and design systems that truly work for families. Together, they examine cultural readiness, access equity, and why health systems must treat family engagement as both a design challenge and a clinical imperative.

Key Takeaways

• Pediatric digital tools must account for evolving autonomy and privacy needs.
• Teen portal adoption is still widely misunderstood by patients and staff.
• Telehealth and virtual quick care reduce burden and boost access.
• AI tools like ambient scribes and LLMs are reshaping provider-patient connection.
• Language and literacy remain persistent access barriers.
• Even tech-savvy families fall through the cracks due to system complexity.
• Consumer tools and sports analytics offer inspiration for pediatric innovation.
• True patient-centered care requires redesigning care around family workflows.
• Success metrics should include trust, connection, and clinical relief—not just logins.

Episode Highlights

00:00 | Intro
00:41 | A Mom Uses the Portal—and Reshapes the Encounter
02:25 | ChatGPT in the Stanford ER
04:17 | When Confidential Care Becomes a Privacy Risk
06:09 | Rethinking Telehealth and Access for Families
07:56 | Extending Specialist Reach through Virtual Care
09:34 | Building Digital Trust
13:34 | The Case for Anonymity in Sensitive Teen Encounters
15:10 | ChatGPT vs. Truancy Policies
16:17 | Designing Tech for Younger, Digitally Native Families
18:19 | Change Management Across Literacy and Trust Barriers
21:41 | Why Spanish-Language Portals Still Miss the Mark
23:39 | Legal, Cultural, and Logistical Gaps in Teen Consent
26:30 | Are Providers Ready for Empowered Families?
27:35 | Humanizing Tech: Ambient Scribes and Burnout
29:51 | How to Measure Success Beyond the Click
33:00 | Peer Challenge: Consumer Tools We Should Steal
38:11 | Three Takeaways for Pediatric Hospital Leaders

Guests: Dr. Natalie Pageler, Dr. Yaa Kumah-Crystal, Dr. Sarah Rush
Host: Gregg Malkary - Spyglass Consulting Group
Cohost: Keith Washington - Companions in Courage Foundation
Sponsored by: Simplifi Medical & Storage Systems Unlimited
Audio/Video: Tim Jones - Health Nuts Media
Marketing: Josh Troop - Troop-Creative
Learn More at: www.beyond-blueprint.com