"I'm His Voice": Parent Perspectives on Obtaining an Autism Diagnosis and Services and the Influence of Personal and Cultural Factors.

To assess caregiver-reported barriers and facilitators to receiving a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and accessing services as well as the influence of personal and cultural factors.Participants included 29 parents whose children had been diagnosed with ASD between January 2019 and November 2021 while receiving primary care at one of two urban, hospital-affiliated clinics. Semi-structured interviews and surveys were conducted between May 2022 and June 2023 in both English and Spanish.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Childhood Lead Testing and Blood Lead Levels.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on childhood lead testing and blood lead levels.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of lead tests and results was performed across 3 urban medical centers during the pre-COVID-19 (March 10, 2019-March 9, 2020) and COVID-19 (March 10, 2020-March 10, 2022) periods. Interrupted time series analysis with quasi-Poisson regression was used to evaluate changes in lead testing between study periods.

Predictors of Subspecialty Appointment Scheduling and Completion for Patients Referred From a Pediatric Primary Care Clinic.

Failure to complete subspecialty referrals decreases access to subspecialty care and may endanger patient safety. We conducted a retrospective analysis of new patient referrals made to the 14 most common referral departments at Boston Children's Hospital from January 1 to December 31, 2017. The sample included 2031 patient referrals.

Understanding Caregiver Perspectives on an Electronic Consultation and Referral System.

This study examined caregiver impressions of an electronic consultation and referral (ECR) system. Participants included 56 caregivers of primary care patients referred through the ECR system. Semistructured interviews and surveys were conducted between August 2018 and April 2019.

Preventing Home Medication Administration Errors.

Medication administration errors that take place in the home are common, especially when liquid preparations are used and complex medication schedules with multiple medications are involved; children with chronic conditions are disproportionately affected. Parents and other caregivers with low health literacy and/or limited English proficiency are at higher risk for making errors in administering medications to children in their care. Recommended strategies to reduce home medication errors relate to provider prescribing practices; health literacy-informed verbal counseling strategies (eg, teachback and showback) and written patient education materials (eg, pictographic information) for patients and/or caregivers across settings (inpatient, outpatient, emergency care, pharmacy); dosing-tool provision for liquid medication measurement; review of medication lists with patients and/or caregivers (medication reconciliation) that includes prescription and over-the-counter medications, as well as vitamins and supplements; leveraging the medical home; engaging adolescents and their adult caregivers; training of providers; safe disposal of medications; regulations related to medication dosing tools, labeling, packaging, and informational materials; use of electronic health records and other technologies; and research to identify novel ways to support safe home medication administration.

Pediatrician Adherence to Guidelines for Diagnosis and Management of High Blood Pressure.

Objectives: To assess pediatrician adherence to the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics' clinical practice guideline for high blood pressure (BP).

Study Design: Pediatric primary care practices (n = 59) participating in a quality improvement collaborative submitted data for patients with high BP measured between November 2018 and January 2019. Baseline data included patient demographics, BP, body mass index (BMI), and actions taken.

Improving patient education for atopic dermatitis: A randomized controlled trial of a caregiver handbook.

Background/objectives: Patient education is important to families' ability to manage and cope with pediatric atopic dermatitis (AD). We evaluated whether an educational handbook could improve AD symptoms, caregiver confidence in AD management skills, and AD-related quality of life.

Methods: Caregivers of children with AD ages 1 month to 16 years were randomly assigned to the intervention arm (handbook in addition to standard AD management) or the control arm (standard management alone).

Neonatal lupus presenting as a non-specific rash in primary care.

Neonatal lupus erythematosus is a rare autoimmune disease caused by passive transplacental acquisition of maternal autoantibodies manifesting in cutaneous, cardiac, haematological and hepatobiliary abnormalities. The hallmark dermatological finding is erythematous annular lesions with a predilection for photo-exposed areas of the skin. We present a case of a female infant born to a mother with Sjogren's syndrome, who initially presented to an ambulatory care setting with non-specific erythematous papules involving the face and scalp.

An Innovative Model for Providing Dermatology Services Within Primary Care.

Objective: Dermatologic complaints are common in outpatient pediatrics. However, pediatric dermatology specialty care can be difficult to access. We aimed to test the feasibility of co-locating dermatology services within primary care and increase the proportion of patients treated for basic skin complaints within the medical home while decreasing wait times.

Sun exposure and protection practices in children after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A Survey-Based Cross-Sectional Cohort Study.

Background/objective: Pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) patients are at an increased risk for skin cancers. Sun exposure is a significant modifiable environmental risk factor. While patient education on sun protection and avoidance behaviors with regular dermatology evaluations are crucial for pediatric HSCT patients, the real-life practice of these sun-protection recommendations in this patient population compared to their peers is unknown.

Improving rates of ferrous sulfate prescription for suspected iron deficiency anaemia in infants.

Background: Iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in infancy is prevalent and associated with impaired neurodevelopment; however, studies suggest that treatment and follow-up rates are poor.

Objectives: To improve the rate of ferrous sulfate prescription for suspected IDA among infants aged 8-13 months to 75% or greater within 24 months.

Methods: We implemented a multidisciplinary process improvement effort aimed at standardising treatment for suspected IDA at two academic paediatric primary care clinics.

11-year old boy with facial hair, acne and deepened voice.

11-year old twin boy found to have idiopathic precocious puberty after routine well-child examination revealed discordant pubertal growth between the two brothers.

Associations Between Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Asthma Control and Psychosocial Symptoms.

There is growing emphasis on using patient-reported outcome measures to enhance clinical practice. This study was a retrospective review of scores on the Childhood Asthma Control Test (C-ACT) and the Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PSC-17) at a pediatric primary care center in Boston, Massachusetts. A total of 218 patients were selected at random using billing codes for well-child (WC) care and asthma, excluding complex medical conditions.

Diagnosis, Evaluation, and Management of High Blood Pressure in Children and Adolescents.

Unlabelled: Systemic hypertension is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in adulthood. High blood pressure (HBP) and repeated measures of HBP, hypertension (HTN), begin in youth. Knowledge of how best to diagnose, manage, and treat systemic HTN in children and adolescents is important for primary and subspecialty care providers.

Associations of Eczema Severity and Parent Knowledge With Child Quality of Life in a Pediatric Primary Care Population.

We investigated factors associated with quality of life (QOL) in children with eczema. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of survey data from 224 parents of children with eczema attending a large, hospital-based pediatric clinic. Parents completed a validated eczema severity scale (Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure), a QOL scale (Infants' Dermatitis QOL Index or Children's Dermatology Life Quality Index), and a knowledge and understanding questionnaire.

Ensuring Timely Connection to Early Intervention for Young Children With Developmental Delays.

Background And Objectives: Timely provision of developmental services can improve outcomes for children 0 to 3 years old with developmental delays. Early Intervention (EI) provides free developmental services to children under age 3 years; however, data suggests that many children referred to EI never connect to the program. We sought to ensure that 70% of patients referred to EI from an academic primary care clinic serving a low-income population were evaluated within 120 days of referral.

Shared Care: Using an Electronic Consult Form to Facilitate Primary Care Provider-Specialty Care Coordination.

Objective: The quality of children's health is compromised by poor care coordination between primary care providers (PCPs) and specialists. Our objective was to determine how an electronic consultation and referral system impacts referral patterns and PCP-specialist communication.

Methods: The primary care clinic at Boston Children's Hospital piloted an electronic referral and consultation system with the neurology and gastroenterology departments from April 1, 2014, to October 31, 2016.

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Eczema Care Plan.

Objective: To test whether an eczema care plan (ECP) would improve provider documentation and management, decrease eczema severity, and increase patient quality of life (QOL) in the pediatric primary care setting.

Methods: We conducted a randomized controlled trial from June 2015 to September 2016 at a large hospital-based pediatric primary care clinic. Participants included children from 1 month to 16 years of age with a diagnosis of eczema.

Education on the Brain: A Partnership Between a Pediatric Primary Care Center and Neurology Residency.

The national shortage of pediatric neurologists is worsening, yet referral rates by pediatricians are high. Suboptimal training of pediatric residents in care of patients with neurologic disease may be a contributing factor. We formed a partnership between the Boston Children's Primary Care at Longwood clinic and Child Neurology Residency Training Program.