News

I was reading the causes of mortality and morbidity in children and noticed that beyond age 2 years, many of the most likely serious harms to children, especially death, are considered “accidents.” I began wondering about all those situations that we so readily call “accidents.”

Key members of a House of Representatives health subcommittee say they are determined to push out legislation intended to pay for better care coordination under Medicaid for children with complex medical conditions. However, key questions are who will do that coordination and how the money will flow.

The parents of a 4-year-old boy who lives in eastern Maryland near the Pennsylvania line are worried about an expanding rash on his back, which started as a small red bump a week ago following a summer picnic. The boy has had a low-grade fever and has not been acting like himself for a few days.

During a routine office visit for mild acute nasal congestion and possible diminished hearing, an isolated, small, pearl-like mass was noted just posterior to the umbo of the left tympanic membrane of a 5-year-old girl.

My clinic is restructuring its physician compensation model, which has led to much consternation among my colleagues.

Sexting is the act of sending or receiving sexually explicit or sexually suggestive photos, messages, or videos digitally by text, e-mail, or instant messaging from a smartphone or computer device. It is more common among teenagers than one might think.

Historically, the care of children with Down syndrome was often managed through specialty services, with the pediatrician/family physician serving a secondary role. Shifts in the healthcare environment have altered this model, with today’s primary care physicians taking on a greater role in care coordination.

I found myself in the trenches of the war on obesity in 2000 when I began working as a general pediatrician at a local community clinic in Southern California. I immediately became aware of the day-to-day barriers that my patients were facing and I began to take on the responsibility of making sure that the children I was seeing would not only survive, but also thrive.

It’s been over a year since the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) announced its intentions to overhaul the maintenance of certification (MOC) process. In this reportorial article, Dr. Andrew Schuman brings you up-to-date with current MOC requirements and the changes likely to occur over the next year.

Flu shots given to mothers during pregnancy provided protection for their babies against three common strains of influenza for several weeks after birth, according to a new report.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara explains key findings from a study published in Cognitive Science Society. The study looked at why toddlers may have difficulty identifying objects presented in non-typical colors.

Suicide has jumped form the third to the second leading cause of death for teens, and the AAP says pediatricians are uniquely positioned to spot risk factors that could lead to suicidal ideation or behaviors.

Significant gaps in the knowledge of EBP are evident as new diagnostic criteria are recognized and evolve in clinical practice. An example of this EBP knowledge gap is the diagnosis of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) that was identified in 2013 as a separate diagnosis in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5).

Maintaining the currently recommended vaccination schedule of influenza, pneumococcal conjugate, and diphtheria/tetanus/acellular pertussis vaccines in young children as put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is likely the best way to manage immunization in this patient population despite the slightly increased risk for febrile seizure.

A new poll found that about a quarter of parents spank, but most believe it’s not a very effective punishment. Instead, parents would like experts, like pediatricians, to give them clear guidance, individualized for their child, on discipline methods that work.

The amount of off-label uses of atypical antipsychotic drugs (AAPs) prescribed for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) raises questions about the appropriateness of AAPs for this indication.

For Contemporary Pediatrics, Dr Bobby Lazzara explains key findings from a study published in the Journal of Attention Disorders. The study looked at whether there was a correlation between ADHD and frustration tolerance in children.

For the nearly 6 million children under the age of 3 years who are living in poor or low-income families, small things such as clean diapers can impact big things including health and well-being.

A new report reveals that black children, and children undergoing more invasive bladder and urinary diversions, undergo more complications after surgery than their peers.

Pediatric trauma centers may be the best place to take adolescents when they are injured, but authors of a new report say a recommendation against adult or mixed trauma centers would be impractical.

I want to commend the new Clinical Report, “Suicide and Suicide Attempts in Adolescents,” issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Adolescence. The lead author, Benjamin Shain, MD, and the Committee wrote a clear, concise, well-referenced report that is highly relevant to the practicing primary care pediatrician.

A new report reveals that many areas of the country-not just Flint-are struggling to keep children safe from dangerously high lead levels, and numerous agencies are calling for increased surveillance and mitigation efforts.

A new clinical decision support tool prompts clinicians to ask parents about secondhand smoke exposure, provides an electronic nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) prescription, and makes referrals for follow-up and further guidance.

Marijuana use can trigger recurrent cyclic vomiting in teenagers. Authors of a new report point out that 1 known cause of cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) is chronic use of cannabis.

Among children with mild gastroenteritis and minimal dehydration, initial oral hydration with dilute apple juice followed by preferred fluids is more beneficial than providing electrolyte maintenance solution, a large study in a pediatric emergency department (ED) in Canada found.

An analysis of data on the incidence of pertussis shows that although acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine had a positive impact among adolescents in the 4 years after it was introduced in 2005, in 2010 pertussis incidence in this age group began to increase more rapidly than it did in all other age groups.

In May 2016, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced the revamping of the rules for the “nutrition facts” label box on packaged foods, the first major such overall in 20 years.

An adolescent girl is referred by her pediatrician to dermatology for evaluation of a birthmark on her face.

The introduction of conjugated vaccines has decreased the incidence of bacterial meningitis in children, amounting to one of the biggest public health successes in the practicing pediatrician’s career.