Characteristics and Resource Utilization of Hospitalized Children With Somatic Symptoms.

Objective: To examine patient characteristics and resource utilization of hospitalized children and adolescents with somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs).

Patients And Methods: This study included 173 patients who were aged 6 to 18 years and admitted to a single, tertiary academic children's hospital between April 2015 and December 2021 with a diagnosis of an SSRD. Sociodemographic information and clinical features were assessed as outcomes.

Disparities in Management of Acute Gastroenteritis in Hospitalized Children.

Background And Objectives: Acute gastroenteritis (AGE) is a common health care problem accounting for up to 200 000 pediatric hospitalizations annually. Previous studies show disparities in the management of children from different ethnic backgrounds presenting to the emergency department with AGE. Our aim was to evaluate whether differences in medical management also exist between Hispanic and non-Hispanic children hospitalized with AGE.

Assessing Parental Discharge Readiness by Using the Ticket to Home Survey Tool.

Objectives: Ticket to Home (TTH), a survey tool designed to assess parental comprehension of their child's hospitalization and postdischarge care needs, allows providers to address knowledge gaps before discharge. Our goal was to evaluate the impact of TTH on parents' retention of discharge teaching.

Methods: In this pilot study, we enrolled a convenience sample of families admitted to pediatric hospital medicine and randomly assigned families on the basis of team assignment.

Improving vitamin D testing and supplementation in children with newly diagnosed cancer: A quality improvement initiative at Rady Children's Hospital San Diego.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency have been associated with poorer health outcomes. Children with cancer are at high risk for vitamin D deficiency and insufficiency. At our institution, we identified high variability in vitamin D testing and supplementation in this population.

The Pediatric Hospital Medicine Core Competencies: 2020 Revision.

Background: The Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Core Competencies define the expertise required of practitioners and provide a framework for educational activities. Since initial publication in 2010, the scope of practice for pediatric hospitalists has evolved in clinical, research, administrative, and educational arenas.

Objective: To describe the methodology utilized in the revision of The PHM Core Competencies to ensure a product reflective of current roles and expectations for pediatric hospitalists across all training pathways and practice settings.

True Versus False Bacteremia in Infants and Children Less Than 3 Years of Age.

Objective: The objective of this study was to examine patient history as well as clinical and laboratory features associated with true bacteremia versus false bacteremia in previously healthy febrile children ages 0 to 36 months in the era of polyvalent conjugate pneumococcal immunization.

Methods: Using retrospective chart review, we examined history, physical examination, and laboratory characteristics associated with true and false bacteremia. We included subjects under 3 years old, with a positive blood culture obtained in the emergency department or clinic from July 2011 to July 2013, and fever defined as a temperature of greater than or equal to 100.

Integrating Team Training in the Pediatric Life Support Program: An Effective and Efficient Approach?

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the feasibility of integrating teamwork training into an established Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) program to assess the effect on teamwork and collaboration among interprofessionals.

Background: Lack of teamwork and ineffective communication are common contributors to hospital sentinel events. Interprofessional teamwork training to support a culture of patient safety is advocated; however, training methods and related expenses vary widely.

Low Infection-Related Re-Admission Rates in a Retrospective of 4725 Children with Appendicitis Using a Clinical Pathway in a Tertiary Care Pediatric Center.

Background: Standardization of antibiotic management of appendicitis in tertiary care pediatric centers has been associated with improved outcomes. Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego implemented an appendicitis clinical pathway in 2005. We evaluated infection-related re-admission risk factors since 2010, when an electronic medical record was established, with the aim to optimize the clinical pathway.

Summary of STARNet: Seamless Transitions and (Re)admissions Network.

The Seamless Transitions and (Re)admissions Network (STARNet) met in December 2012 to synthesize ongoing hospital-to-home transition work, discuss goals, and develop a plan to centralize transition information in the future. STARNet participants consisted of experts in the field of pediatric hospital medicine quality improvement and research, and included physicians and key stakeholders from hospital groups, private payers, as well as representatives from current transition collaboratives. In this report, we (1) review the current knowledge regarding hospital-to-home transitions; (2) outline the challenges of measuring and reducing readmissions; and (3) highlight research gaps and list potential measures for transition quality.

Predictors of Clostridium difficile infections in hospitalized children.

Background: Recent studies report an increasing incidence of Clostridium difficile infections (CDIs) in children and suggest that CDIs may occur outside known populations at risk.

Objective: To identify clinical factors associated with CDI in a hospitalized pediatric population.

Methods: A retrospective case-control study was conducted with C difficile cases (CD) and controls (CTLs) in hospitalized children over a 2-year period.

Pediatric hospitalists collaborate to improve timeliness of discharge communication.

Objectives: The transition of care from hospital to primary care provider (PCP) at discharge carries the potential for significant information loss. There is evidence that the timeliness and content of discharge communication are often unreliable during this handoff. Suboptimal transitions of care at discharge have been associated with adverse outcomes, and efficient solutions are required to transform the current state.

Apnea in children hospitalized with bronchiolitis.

Objective: To identify risk factors for inpatient apnea among children hospitalized with bronchiolitis.

Methods: We enrolled 2207 children, aged <2 years, hospitalized with bronchiolitis at 16 sites during the winters of 2007 to 2010. Nasopharyngeal aspirates (NPAs) were obtained on all subjects, and real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to test NPA samples for 16 viruses.

The Quality and Safety Educators Academy: fulfilling an unmet need for faculty development.

Educating physician trainees in the principles of quality improvement (QI) and patient safety (PS) is a national imperative. Few faculty are trained in these disciplines, and few teaching institutions have the resources and infrastructure to develop faculty as instructors of these skills. The authors designed a 3-day, in-person academy to provide medical educators with the knowledge and tools to integrate QI and PS concepts into their training programs.

A real-time assessment of factors influencing medication events.

Reducing medical error is critical to improving the safety and quality of healthcare. Physician stress, fatigue, and excessive workload are performance-shaping factors (PSFs) that may influence medical events (actual administration errors and near misses), but direct relationships between these factors and patient safety have not been clearly defined. This study assessed the real-time influence of emotional stress, workload, and sleep deprivation on self-reported medication events by physicians in academic hospitals.

Pediatric hospital medicine: historical perspectives, inspired future.

Pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) is in an accelerated growth phase. Multiple elements have combined to affect the current state of the field. PHM is similar to other geographic specialties such as pediatric emergency medicine and pediatric critical care that deliver general, comprehensive care to patients based on hospital site.