Children with cancer, fever, and treatment-induced neutropenia: risk factors associated with illness requiring the administration of critical care therapies.

Objectives: To identify clinical and laboratory characteristics of pediatric patients with cancer, fever, and treatment-induced neutropenia, available at existing at initial presentation, that are independently associated with the development of illnesses requiring administration of critical care therapies.

Methods: We retrospectively collected historical, clinical, and laboratory data on initial presentation for all pediatric (younger than 18 years) cancer patients admitted for fever and treatment-induced neutropenia at our institution over a 5-year period. The outcome variable was the need for administration of a critical care therapy within 24 hours of admission.

Using telemedicine to provide pediatric subspecialty care to children with special health care needs in an underserved rural community.

Objective: For children with special health care needs (CSHCN) that live in rural, medically underserved communities, obtaining subspecialty care is a challenge. Telemedicine is a means of improving access to these children by addressing rural physician shortages and geographic barriers. This article reports a medical-needs assessment of parents/guardians with CSHCN and the status of a telemedicine program for CSHCN as well as the results of parent/guardian and local provider satisfaction with the telemedicine program.