Children in Intensive Care Often Have Delusional Memories
May 1st 2008One-third of children discharged from pediatric intensive care experience delusional memories of their experience and are at increased risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder, according to research published in the May 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Carrots (Not Sticks) to Encourage a Healthy Weight
May 1st 2008According to the National Center for HealthStatistics,1 almost one-fifth of American childrenaged 6 to 11 years are overweight-a proportion that has been increasing inrecent years. Overweight children are morelikely to become overweight adults, following a pathwaytoward such health complications as heart disease, diabetes,and sleep apnea.2 As pediatricians, we are constantlylooking for new ways to battle the obesity epidemic,and wonder what else we can do to slow theprogression of the trend.
Rising Insurance Premiums Outpace Salary Increases
April 30th 2008The cost of family health insurance plans in the United States is increasing 10 times faster than salary increases, meaning that a growing share of workers' earnings are eaten up by health care costs, according to a report issued April 29 by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Physicians Lack Feedback on Accuracy of Diagnoses
April 29th 2008Clinical diagnosis is a largely open-loop system in which there is no systematic way for clinicians to obtain feedback on the outcome of their diagnoses, according to an article published in a supplement to the May issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
Increasing Incidence of Pre-Pregnancy Diabetes Alarming
April 29th 2008The incidence of gestational diabetes has remained stable over time and is similar across different racial and ethnic groups, but the rising number of young, pregnant women with pre-existing diabetes is cause for concern, according to a report published in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
Palliative Care Can Improve Patient Care Most, Poll Finds
April 28th 2008In an international poll conducted by BMJ to determine which area of health care would enable doctors to make the greatest difference to patients, palliative care for non-malignant disease received the most votes, the BMJ Group announced at the International Forum on Quality and Safety in Health Care in Paris this week.
Children feel better, but obesity and low birth weight rates worsen
April 28th 2008The overall well-being of American children from 1994 to 2006 is improving, despite the fact that rates of obesity and low birth weight are rising, according to a report released by the Foundation for Child Development on April 25.
Researchers Present Updated Discussion of Avian Flu
April 25th 2008Because H5N1 influenza A viruses have the potential to cause a worldwide pandemic with mortality rates as high as 60 percent, the development of broadly protective vaccines is imperative, according to a seminar published in the April 26 issue of The Lancet.
Uptake of Human Papillomavirus Vaccine is High
April 25th 2008Uptake of the first two doses of the human papillomavirus vaccine among adolescent schoolgirls in Manchester, United Kingdom, was encouraging, but high coverage for the third dose will determine the overall success of the vaccination program, according to a study published online April 24 in the BMJ.
Wide Variations in Health Care Seen Across Europe
April 25th 2008The wide diversity of health care provision in European countries makes any regionwide legislation mandating a unified approach unfeasible, and quality of care across countries will likely be ensured through more informal mechanisms, according to an article published in the April 26 issue of the BMJ.
Latest Flu Vaccine Gave Poor Protection, CDC Says
April 23rd 2008Influenza vaccine had limited efficacy during the last flu season, uptake of the rotavirus vaccine is encouraging and researchers who have contact with a virus related to smallpox should be vaccinated, according to three articles in the April 18 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.