Ambulatory physicians' electronic health record self-efficacy.

Ambulatory providers were administered an EHR skills self-assessment survey to assess their confidence in learning about and using the electronic health record (EHR). Seventy-one providers participated. Only 35% of respondents felt that they had strong EHR skills, 92% felt confident that they could learn new skills, and 90% felt they could improve with practice.

Comparison of two cohorts of medically at-risk adolescents engaging in substance use (cancer survivors and asthmatics): Clinical predictors for monitoring care.

Background And Purpose: Medically at-risk adolescents differ in their perception of severity and are vulnerable to substance use because of effects on their medical regimen. The intent in comparing two cohorts, adolescent survivors of cancer and teens with asthma, is to provide clinical predictors to help in monitoring those needing help with substance use decision making.

Methods: Baseline data were obtained from two randomized controlled trials for a decision-making program of research for medically at-risk adolescents.

A Health-Related Quality of Life Measure for Older Adolescents With Asthma: Child Health Survey for Asthma-T (Teen Version).

Background: Although adolescent substance use can have direct effects on asthma symptoms and interact with medications used to treat asthma, no validated health-related quality of life (HRQL) instrument exists for adolescents 17 to 19 years of age with asthma.

Purpose: The American Academy of Pediatric's HRQL instrument, the Child Health Survey for Asthma (CHSA)-Child version, was modified with a substance use subscale to address outcomes specific to adolescents ages 17 to 19 years with asthma.

Methods: Two cohorts (N = 70) were recruited for instrument testing at pediatric primary care practices and two university clinics.

SUPPORTING PHYSICIANS' PRACTICE-BASED LEARNING AND IMPROVEMENT (PBLI) AND QUALITY IMPROVEMENT THROUGH EXPLORATION OF POPULATION-BASED MEDICAL DATA.

Participating in self-assessment activities may stimulate improvement in practice behaviors. However, it is unclear how best to support the development of self-assessment skills, particularly in the health care domain. Exploration of population-based data is one method to enable health care providers to identify deficiencies in overall practice behavior that can motivate quality improvement initiatives.

A review of the Journal of Pediatrics: the first 75 years.

Objective: To assess changes in the format and content of articles published in The Journal of Pediatrics to aid in understanding the current state of pediatric research and to anticipate what to expect in the coming years.

Study Design: We conducted a retrospective review of case reports, research articles, and review articles published in volume 150 of The Journal. We noted components of study authorship, content, and design and compared these data with those in earlier volumes.

Statistical literacy for readers of Pediatrics: a moving target.

Objective: Pediatric residents are expected to study research design and statistical methods to enable them to critically appraise the pediatric literature and apply the findings to patient care. However, it is not clear how best to teach these skills or even which statistical concepts are most important. An earlier study demonstrated that the statistical complexity of articles published in Pediatrics increased from 1952 to 1982.

Safe at school: a Virginia experience.

Objective: The Commonwealth of Virginia passed legislation in 1999 requiring nonmedical school personnel to assist students with the management of type 1 diabetes when school nurses were unavailable. This study was designed to determine which school personnel in Virginia currently assist type 1 diabetic students with insulin administration and management of hypoglycemia and to determine if these students are being cared for in a safe manner.

Research Design And Methods: Parents of children with type 1 diabetes who attended public school in Virginia during the previous year and who were receiving their diabetes care at the University of Virginia diabetes clinics were asked to participate in an anonymous survey.

Case-control confusion.

Objective: Critical analysis of journal articles by using principles of evidence-based medicine is important for clinicians applying research results in their practice and is a valuable component of pediatric residency training. Appraisal of an article's methodological rigor is often tailored to a particular type of study design, so that misclassification of study design can confuse the appraisal. The goal of this study was to determine how often pediatric research articles that are self-declared as case-control studies conform to a standard definition for this study design.