Effect of growth hormone therapy on height in children with idiopathic short stature: a meta-analysis.

Context: Use of growth hormone (GH) therapy to promote growth in children with idiopathic short stature is controversial. A fundamental issue underlying the controversy is uncertainty about the magnitude of effectiveness of GH for this condition.

Objective: To determine the effect of GH on short- and long-term growth in idiopathic short stature.

Patient attitudes and preferences regarding treatment: GH therapy for childhood short stature.

This paper examines the role of parents' attitudes and preferences regarding growth hormone therapy for childhood short stature. Four main questions are addressed. First, what are the demographic characteristics of families seeking medical advice for their child's short stature? Second, what are parents' attitudes towards short stature? Third, what are parents' treatment preferences (i.

Insurance coverage, physician recommendations, and access to emerging treatments: growth hormone therapy for childhood short stature.

Context: There is concern in both the medical community and the general public about mechanisms of medical decision making and the interplay of physician and insurer decisions in determining access to care.

Objective: To examine the medical process influencing access to growth hormone (GH) therapy for childhood short stature by comparing coverage policies of US insurers with the treatment recommendations of US physicians.

Design And Participants: Independent national representative surveys were mailed to insurers (private, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, health maintenance organizations, programs for Children with Special Health Care Needs, and Medicaid programs, n=113), primary care physicians (n=1504), and pediatric endocrinologists (n=534) with response rates of 75%, 60%, and 81%, respectively.

Short stature and growth hormone therapy. A national study of physician recommendation patterns.

Objective: To determine current expert opinion and recommendations regarding the controversial issue of the use of growth hormone (GH) to treat short children who do not have classical GH deficiency (non-GHD children).

Study Design: Analysis of a national survey mailed to 534 US physician experts on the management of short stature (pediatric endocrinologists) with a response rate of 81.3%.