News
Time is short to shape pay-for-performance
April 30th 2006Pediatricians are running out of time to influencepay-for-performance measures that are set to transform health-caredelivery. The future is not entirely bleak, said Paul Miles, MD,vice president and director of quality for the American Board ofPediatrics at the PAS Annual Meeting today, but the profession mustact now if pediatricians are to shape the solution and not beshaped by it.
Pediatricians can move attitudes, and practices, about smoking
April 30th 2006Pediatricians should get more active in pressing for smoke-freefacilities and activities in their communities. That is thetake-home message from Robert McMillen, MD, of the Social ScienceResearch Center at Mississippi State University, who spokeyesterday at the Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting in SanFrancisco.
Many young men are going for a "lift"
April 30th 2006A first-ever survey suggests that erectile dysfunction (ED) is acommon problem in adolescent males. In a Chicago survey of 302 menbetween 18 to 25 years of age, 13% reported ED and 25% reported EDwhile putting on a condom. Among the same group, 6% reported usingsildenafil (Viagra) or some other ED medication, most often inconjunction with recreational drugs.
Add a lawyer to the pediatric health care team!
April 29th 2006"Savvy pediatricians are adding lawyers to the health care teamserving low income and disadvantaged children. The lawyers are notthere to protect the practice," said Barry Zuckerman, MD, chief ofPediatrics at the Boston Medical Center, speaking at the PAS AnnualMeeting, "but to improve medical care for children.
Daycare brings major societal, family costs
April 29th 2006Putting children in daycare while one or both parents work is anexpensive proposition. A new study from the Boston area, discussedtoday at the PAS Annual Meeting, suggests that illness associatedwith children in daycare costs the US economy more than $1.5billion annually in direct health services, lost productivity, andother costs.
HPV vaccination may pose delivery concerns
April 29th 2006Pediatricians can expect problems meeting vaccination schedules forhuman papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Based on data from the 1996 to2002 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, only 11% of adolescents haveprimary care visits on a schedule appropriate to HPV vaccination.
Watchful waiting works for non-severe otitis media
April 29th 2006Pediatricians have been waiting for solid data on the effect ofwatchful waiting on acute otitis media for two years. That's howlong it has been since the American Academy of Pediatrics and theAmerican Academy of Family Physicians issued new guidelinesoffering observation as a treatment choice for non-severe AOM.
Mental Health Awareness Month approaches. Help working parents with these tips for youngsters!
April 12th 2006You can help working parents manage the day-to-day demands of their lives by providing them with mental health tips for their children. The payoff for doing so can be large: Studies demonstrate a close relationship between mental health and physical health. The list of tips?some as fundamental as urging parents to seek professional help if they sense a problem with their child's psychological well-being or balance?comes courtesy of the National Mental Health Association, as part of Mental Health Awareness Month in May.
Children and poison: Keeping the two far apart
April 12th 2006Poison control centers receive a call every 15 seconds about an accidental poisoning, and records of the National Safety Council reveal that more than 50% of two million poisoning incidents each year involve children less than 6 years of age. To increase awareness of the danger to children of accidental poisoning from pesticides and household products, National Poison Prevention Week was observed March 19-25.
Black box warning for atopic dermatitis agents may chill prescribing
April 12th 2006In a trend that pediatricians should note carefully in their management of children with atopic dermatitis (eczema), dermatologists likely will exercise more caution in prescribing the topical calcineurin inhibitors (TCIs) Elidel cream (pimecrolimus, Novartis) and Protopic ointment (tacrolimus, Astellas Pharma) in response to the Food and Drug Administration's decision to add "black box" warnings to these drugs' labels, an expert pediatric dermatologist told the publication Dermatology Times recently.
Sleep tight, stay slim. Is it that simple?
April 12th 2006Parents have another good reason to make sure their child gets a good night's sleep: Recent research suggests that children who do not get enough sleep may be at higher risk of becoming overweight than those who watch too much television or never exercise.
Rise in asthma hospitalizations coincides with start of school year
April 12th 2006A rise in asthma exacerbations and hospitalizations in the fall is related to the start of school and a subsequent increase in viral infections among children. Attempting to improve asthma control and reduce the transmission of infections as school starts could reduce the annual September asthma epidemic, according to research published in the March 2006 issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI).
Day-Old Boy With Respiratory Distress After Complicated Delivery
April 2nd 2006Day-old boy born at term via vaginal delivery complicated by shoulder dystocia. He had very mild cyanosis in the extremities at birth, which resolved after 5 minutes. Referred for evaluation of respiratory distress. Birth weight, 3.3 kg (7.4 lb). Apgar scores: 7 at 1 minute, and 9 at 5 minutes.
