Donna Hallas, PhD, PPCNP-BC, CPNP, PMHS, FAANP, FAAN

Goals for NPs caring for children and adolescents with weight problems are early identification and referral to treatment in order to prevent the well-known adverse effects the diagnosis of eating disorders places on the child, adolescent, and family members-and, in time, the overall health of the adult population.

Traditionally, first positions for graduating registered nurses (RNs) are hospital based, where many have expertise and experience in emergency management. However, when RNs attend graduate school to become primary care nurse practitioners, planning for managing emergencies in an outpatient medical office may or may not have been a part of graduate education.

Children in the foster care system are exposed early in life to adverse experiences by living within dysfunctional families and specific facts have not changed. What has changed is the recognition of the need for the healthcare system to change its care for these vulnerable children to prevent the adverse effects that traumatic stress imposes on their physical and emotional development and well-being.

Dr Bass’s article on “Factoring the Metabolic X Syndrome” in the latest issue of Contemporary Pediatrics provides us with information on the emergence of Metabolic X syndrome in the pediatric/adolescent populations, previously a syndrome seen only in adults. How can we, as nurse practitioners (NPs) prevent children from developing the symptoms for a diagnosis of Metabolic X Syndrome?

In their article, “Kid care on the slopes,” in the latest Contemporary Pediatrics, Drs. Brown and Fishman draw on their many years of caring for kids in Colorado ski country to provide this special primer on managing pediatric injuries sustained while skiing and snowboarding.

Do NPs specifically ask parents about their childhood parenting experiences? Dr. Howard King’s article “How to help adult children of alcoholic parents” prompts us to ask about important information that most likely is not a part of our routine family history questions, and thus not a part of our child’s treatment plan.

Over the past several months, we have received information from news reports, local and state departments of health, and from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about the Zika virus, a mosquito-transmitted disease, and the devastating outcomes experienced by some pregnant women who contracted the Zika virus during pregnancy.

Caring for the medically complex neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) graduates is a challenge for everyone: the very stressed parents and family members, physicians, physician specialists, nurse practitioners, nurses, and early intervention specialists including physical therapists, occupational therapists, and education specialists.

How fitting is it that the subject article for this first commentary would be on a topic that impacts all of our practices: Childhood obesity (“’F’ for ‘Fat’ Grading Weight Report Cards”). In it, Dr. Petrou discusses some of the controversies regarding legislation implemented in 24 states requiring mandatory body mass index (BMI) surveillance and screening programs in schools with ‘report cards’ to parents.