Development of information and communication technology (ICT) for a coordinated healthcare program serving low income, chronically ill children.

This case report describes the development of information and communication technology (ICT) for a large scale, federally funded demonstration healthcare Program designed to treat low-income children and adolescents with chronic medical conditions. The ICT developers faced the challenge of supporting a Program with many components to treat pediatric patients with one or more chronic health conditions. The Program's ICT provided means and materials to train and monitor Community Health Workers (CHWs) and the Care Coordination Team (CCT) and to provide disease-specific information to patients and caregivers.

Evaluation of a Curriculum to Improve Clinician Communication With Adolescents.

Introduction: While guidelines for health care clinicians working with adolescent patients encourage open communication and confidential visits, current practices often fall short and many adolescents do not receive confidential care or adequate communication about sexually transmitted infections, reproductive health, and other sensitive health topics.

Methods: The Providers and Teens Communicating for Health (PATCH) program in Wisconsin aims to bridge communication gaps between adolescents and health care clinicians. Teen educators are hired and trained to lead 2 types of workshops-one targeting peers and one targeting clinicians.

Breast microcalcifications studied with 3D contrast-enhanced high-field magnetic resonance imaging: more accuracy in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

Aims: To evaluate the reliability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) performed with three-dimensional (3D) sequences in mammographically detected breast microcalcifications.

Methods: During an 8-month period, a group of 28 patients with mammographically detected microcalcifications suspicious for malignancy underwent MRI. Their ages ranged from 33 to 65 years.

Lobular breast cancer: how useful is breast magnetic resonance imaging?

Rationale And Objectives: To review magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in lobular breast carcinoma, the in situ or infiltrating subtype, with special attention to the dynamic curves with the aim to evaluate possible differences with ductal carcinoma.

Methods: In 2 years, 27 patients with lobular and one with tubular carcinoma underwent MRI at the Istituto Nazionale Tumori of Milan.

Results: All lobular carcinomas demonstrated early or late enhancement (100% sensitivity), without significant differences in morphology compared with ductal carcinoma, but frequently with a different shape of the dynamic curves.

Medical students act as Big Brothers/Big Sisters to support human immunodeficiency virus-infected children's psychosocial needs.

Objective: To address the special psychosocial and emotional needs and concerns of human immunodeficiency virus-infected children through a medical student-based Big Brother/Big Sister program.

Design: A telephone survey of 9 medical students who participated in the program in the last 4 years was undertaken to assess their experiences and feelings about the program.

Results: The experiences resulting from participation in the program were unanimously positive.