Parents face an array of challenges, with managing a sick child at home high on the stress meter. Between deciding whether a trip to the doctor is necessary and navigating over-the-counter treatments, choosing the best course of action can feel overwhelming. Texas Children’s Pediatrics has introduced a solution that has been dubbed the “sick-day utility belt” on Texas Children’s Pediatrics’ social media.
The Texas Children’s Pediatrics Virtual Care At-Home Care Kit is designed to bring high-quality pediatric care directly to families’ homes, easing parents’ burdens without diminishing quality of care, according to Michael Chapman, MD, a pediatrician and medical director of Texas Children’s Virtual Care in Houston. The Virtual Care At-Home Care Kit program works within Texas Children's Pediatrics, which is a member of the AMA Health System Program that provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
“Parenting is hard,” Dr. Chapman said. “It's tough sometimes to be able to balance all the things that we ask of a parent. It’s even harder when you have a sick kid at home.
“And so, our job at Texas Children’s is to be there for the parents, to help parents. We designed this kit to help bring an appropriate level of care that we can provide into the living room,” he added.
A look inside the “sick-day utility belt”
The Texas Children’s Virtual Care At-Home Care Kit includes several essential tools for assessing and treating common childhood illnesses, such as:
- A digital thermometer.
- A pulse oximeter.
- An at-home otoscope that connects to a smartphone to check for signs of ear infection.
- A refrigerator magnet dosing chart for acetaminophen and ibuprofen.
- Information on virtual urgent-care services.
- Access to a Texas Children’s Pediatrics advice app that helps with decision-making.
- Extras such as stickers and lollipops to mimic the in-office pediatrician experience.
The inclusion of an otoscope is particularly noteworthy.
“Ear infections are incredibly common in children,” Dr. Chapman said. “In a virtual care setting, our biggest challenge is conducting a thorough physical exam. This at-home otoscope allows parents to capture images of the eardrum and share them with our doctors, improving diagnosis accuracy and potentially avoiding an in-person visit.”
The otoscope fills a great need that was left lacking in virtual care visits because it allows the physician to see in a child’s ear. This at-home otoscope works as a camera where parents can take photos of the eardrum to share with their child’s pediatrician.
“We seized the opportunity to expand our physical exams,” said Dr. Chapman. “We can assess breathing, fever and heart rate, but ear infections required in-person visits.
“Even with ear pain, even if they said they had ear infections before and they know the symptoms, we still had to have them come in to get their ears looked at,” he added. “With this tool, we’ve bridged that gap, allowing us to offer a similar high standard of care from home.”
It’s a “win-win” for families
Parents can buy a Texas Children’s Virtual Care At-Home Care Kit from any Texas Children’s Urgent Care location for $100. The kit gives families an effective way to assess symptoms at home before deciding whether an in-person visit is needed.
If a virtual visit is necessary, parents can use the kit’s tools to provide essential health information to the physician, further streamlining the diagnostic process.
Texas Children’s Virtual Care allows pediatricians to assess conditions such as:
- Cold or flu symptoms.
- Ear pain.
- Asthma.
- Allergic reactions (not involving breathing difficulties or vomiting).
- Minor burns, cuts or injuries.
- Urinary tract infections.
- Pink eye, rashes and more.
This initiative is about saving time and cutting stress for families, noted Dr. Chapman.
“It usually takes about 121 minutes for a parent to take their child to the pediatrician’s office,” he said. “A virtual visit, with the help of this kit, takes just 20 minutes—and there’s no waiting room. You also don’t have to drive to the clinic, park the car, go up the elevator with the car seat.”
Receiving virtual care also helps “reduce exposure to other illnesses in waiting rooms,” said Dr. Chapman. “It’s a win-win for families.”
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A growing demand
Since its launch in the fall, the kit has received a positive response from parents. As of early 2025, Texas Children’s Pediatrics estimates that they have sold around 10 kits per month. Additionally, concierge pediatric patients at Texas Children’s automatically receive a kit as part of their care package.
“The feedback from both parents and pediatricians has been very encouraging,” Dr. Chapman said. “Parents appreciate the convenience, and some pediatricians are even requesting to sell the kits in their offices.”
Dr. Chapman noted that families have been quick to adapt to the new technology.
“Parents will always find a way to help their child,” he said. “We saw that when we first started encouraging families to take ear photos with their own devices. Now, with this kit, we’re giving them a tool that makes it even easier to do so safely and effectively.”
The future of pediatric telehealth
Texas Children’s Virtual Care At-Home Care Kits are part of a broader trend in pediatric telehealth that emphasizes accessibility and high standards of care. The initiative aligns with the health system’s commitment to innovative health care solutions.
“We’re always thinking about how we can improve access to care,” Dr. Chapman said. “This kit is just one way we’re evolving to meet families’ needs. Parents deserve flexible, high-quality care for their children, and we’re here to provide it.”
Dr. Chapman also highlighted the importance of ensuring that virtual care maintains the same level of quality as in-person visits.
“The standard of care needs to be the same whether you’re seen in an office or at home,” Dr. Chapman said. “That’s why we created this kit—to make sure families have access to the right tools to facilitate that care.”
“But the parents need to be able to make decisions for the benefit of their families,” he said. “The parents get to decide what modality and when and how their children are seen by pediatricians, and our job is to accommodate them in the best that we can.”
“So, if they're comfortable with using one of these boxes to help them make their life easier and we can provide the high standard of care, then we're willing to do that,” Dr. Chapman added. “If they want to be seen in the pediatrician's office, we're willing to do that too.”
