A phase II dose evaluation pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial of cholecalciferol in critically ill children with vitamin D deficiency (VITdAL-PICU study).

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is highly prevalent in the pediatric intensive care unit (ICU) and associated with worse clinical course. Trials in adult ICU demonstrate rapid restoration of vitamin D status using an enteral loading dose is safe and may improve outcomes. There have been no published trials of rapid normalization of VDD in the pediatric ICU.

Improving the quality of physician communication with rapid-throughput analysis and report cards.

Objective: Problems with clinician-patient communication negatively impact newborn screening, genetics, and all of healthcare. Training programs teach communication, but educational methods are not feasible for entire populations of clinicians. To address this healthcare quality gap, we developed a Communication Quality Assurance intervention.

Use of social support during communication about sickle cell carrier status.

Objective: To examine the use of social support behaviors by primary care providers during delivery of positive newborn screening results for Sickle Cell Anemia carrier status.

Methods: Transcripts from 125 primary care providers who conveyed Sickle Cell Anemia carrier status to standardized parents were content analyzed using categories derived from Cutrona and Suhr's social support taxonomy. Frequencies and cross-tabulation matrices were calculated to study providers' social support utilization.

A qualitative secondary evaluation of statewide follow-up interviews for abnormal newborn screening results for cystic fibrosis and sickle cell hemoglobinopathy.

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to assess parental acceptability of large-scale, telephone follow-up regarding their infants' newborn screening (NBS) results, indicating carrier status for sickle cell hemoglobinopathy (SCH) and cystic fibrosis (CF).

Methods: Analysis of 195 interview transcripts focused on parents' responses to two open-ended questions: "What was your reaction to being called by me?" and "What do you think of the state NBS program having follow-up people calling parents like you?" Responses were coded using conventional content analysis procedures, and nonparametric tests were performed to analyze quantitative data.

Results: Most parents reported favorable opinions about the follow-up.

Factors that influence parents' experiences with results disclosure after newborn screening identifies genetic carrier status for cystic fibrosis or sickle cell hemoglobinopathy.

Objective: Newborn screening (NBS) identifies genetic carriers for sickle cell hemoglobinopathy and cystic fibrosis. We aimed to identify factors during initial NBS carrier results disclosure by primary care providers (PCPs) that influenced parents' experiences and reactions.

Methods: Open-ended responses from telephone interviews with 270 parents of carriers were analyzed using mixed-methods.