Omaha nurse practitioner to be honored for pediatric care research

OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) - An Omaha nurse practitioner and Creighton professor will be awarded for her research in pediatric care for families with terminally ill children.

Dr. Meghan Potthoff will be recognized in Des Moines Friday for creating a tool to help parents navigate such trying times.

“Adults going through this, it’s not always anticipated, but when a child goes through it…it’s never supposed to be how it’s supposed to go,” Potthoff said.

Potthoff works with kids who have an illness that has no cure and is terminal -- also called a life-limiting illness. It’s a territory with no road map for many parents.

“When we say to them, ‘so you’re good now?’ And seeing their face, their eyes are big. You can see their hands shaking and they say, ‘yeah we’re good.’ You leave there not knowing if you should pry more. And so we often walk away but you have this feeling you didn’t answer all of their questions,” she said.

That’s why she researched how an existing card game, GoWish Together, could be applied to parents of young kids. The deck prompts questions and conversation starters with parents and providers.

Some cards say “to discuss hospice services” or “for my child to be free from machines.”

“What parents told us in our research was this was a lighthouse in the fog. When they looked at these cards, it started to give them a light to look at, that this is what the major question I need answered today,” said Potthoff. “I might not know the answers but I’ll help you find the answers.”

Potthoff’s deck of cards is now being mass-produced for hospitals and the team is looking to translate the deck into more languages. They’re also looking to make cards for parents and teens going through end-of-life care.

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