Screening for Prediabetes and Type 2 Diabetes in Children and Adolescents: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Importance: Of youths diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, many develop microvascular complications by young adulthood.

Objective: To review the evidence on benefits and harms of screening children and adolescents for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

Data Sources: PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and trial registries through May 3, 2021; references; experts; literature surveillance through July 22, 2022.

A Quality Improvement Approach to Enhance LGBTQ+ Inclusivity in Pediatric Primary Care.

Background: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) teens are at higher risk of illness as a result of bias but are less likely than peers to attend well visits. Medical organizations recommend improving care through staff education, visual cues, and routine inquiry of sexual orientation and gender identity (SO/GI) and pronouns. It is unknown how to do this confidentially in pediatrics.

Preparing Medical Students to Address Health Disparities Through Longitudinally Integrated Social Justice Curricula: A Systematic Review.

Purpose: The education of health care professionals is a contributing factor to persistent health disparities. Although medical students are expected to understand racism, classism, and other social and structural drivers of health (SDH), standardization and best practices for teaching these concepts are lacking. Some medical schools are adopting social justice curricula (SJC) that prioritize health equity in teaching students to recognize SDH and preparing them to address the consequent health disparities.

Screening for Hypertension in Children and Adolescents: Updated Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Importance: Childhood hypertension can result in adverse outcomes during adulthood; identifying and treating primary and secondary childhood hypertension may reduce such risks.

Objective: To update the evidence on screening and treatment of hypertension in childhood and adolescence for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Data Sources: PubMed, Cochrane Library, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, EMBASE, and trial registries through September 3, 2019; bibliographies from retrieved articles, experts, and surveillance of the literature through October 6, 2020.

Self-Management and Health Care Transition Among Adolescents and Young Adults With Chronic Kidney Disease: Medical and Psychosocial Considerations.

Health care transition (HCT) is a process that requires preparation as a continuum from pediatric- to adult-focused services. For adolescents and young adults with chronic or ESRD, this process can be prolonged due to their physical, psychological, family, or ecological factors. HCT preparation is a matter of patient safety and patient rights as the consequences of poor preparation at the time of transfer to adult-focused services are great, including rejection of organs, disease relapse, or even death.

A Pilot Quality Improvement Collaborative to Improve Safety Net Dental Access for Pregnant Women and Young Children.

Objectives To determine acceptability and feasibility of a quality improvement (QI) collaborative in safety net dental practices, and evaluate its effects on financial stability, access, efficiency, and care for pregnant women and young children. Methods Five safety net dental practices participated in a 15-month learning collaborative utilizing business assessments, QI training, early childhood oral health training, and prenatal oral health training. Practices collected monthly data on: net revenue, no-show rates, total encounters, and number of encounters for young children and pregnant women.

Understanding the relationship between religiosity and caregiver-adolescent communication about sex within African-American families.

Caregiver-adolescent communication about sex plays a critical role in the sexual socialization of youth. Many caregivers, however, do not engage their youth in such conversations, potentially placing them at risk for negative sexual health outcomes. Lack of caregiver-adolescent communication about sex may be particularly harmful for rural African American youth, as they often report early sex initiation and are disproportionately impacted by STIs.

Vision Screening in Children Aged 6 Months to 5 Years: Evidence Report and Systematic Review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Importance: Preschool vision screening could allow detection and treatment of vision abnormalities during a critical developmental stage, preserving function and quality of life.

Objective: To review the evidence on screening for and treatment of amblyopia, its risk factors, and refractive error in children aged 6 months to 5 years to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and trial registries through June 2016; references; and experts, with surveillance of the literature through June 7, 2017.

Improving Culture, One Quality Improvement Project at a Time.

Context: A culture of quality improvement (QI) values collaboration, transparency, and staff empowerment. Organizations exhibiting a culture of QI are more likely to engage in QI.

Objective: We examined whether local health departments' (LHDs') participation in a longitudinal, experiential QI training program changes QI culture.

Perceptions of the medical home by parents of children with chronic illnesses.

Objectives: The patient-centered medical home (PCMH) strives to improve the quality of care in the primary care setting. Recently, certification programs for patient-centered coordinated care have expanded to subspecialty care. Children with chronic conditions are particularly in need of patient-centered and coordinated care.

Enhanced Access and Parents' Preferred Contact for a Child's Chronic Condition.

Objectives: To assess whether the perception of enhanced access by parents in their child's primary care and main specialty practices is associated with preference for contacting either practice when problems arise with a child's chronic condition.

Study Design: In this cross-sectional survey study of parents whose children use both primary and specialty practices, we assessed perceptions of 3 components of enhanced access: (1) appointment availability when needed, (2) electronic communication with practices, and (3) other staff that help manage a child's health care needs. Parents also indicated which practice they would contact for an exacerbation of the main chronic condition for which the child receives specialty care.

Association of Picky Eating and Food Neophobia with Weight: A Systematic Review.

Background: Picky eating and food neophobia are common during childhood. Childhood eating behaviors are often predictive of adult eating behaviors.

Objectives: Determine if childhood picky eating or food neophobia is associated with childhood weight status, or with becoming underweight, overweight, or obese later in childhood.

Translating Clinical Guidelines Into Practice: Challenges and Opportunities in a Dynamic Health Care Environment.

Clinical practice guidelines are evidence-based recommendations with the potential to improve population health, yet they remain inconsistently utilized. In this commentary we discuss barriers and drivers to implementing clinical practice guidelines. We also suggest ways to support their translation into practice.