Charting Pediatrics

Children and their families need a healthcare system that serves them wholeheartedly. Having their unique needs prioritized creates an important opportunity for lifelong health and wellbeing. However, the current health system in our country and globally has massive gaps to fill, especially as it pertains to children of color. The medical community is focusing on preventative measures and connecti...

Facts and fiction can overlap in movies and television. That's especially prevalent in medical dramas where the details seem so real but often don't portray the full picture. While the intention may be to create powerful entertainment, sometimes a storyline can misinform the viewer. Unrealistic circumstances, overexaggerated outcomes and the bending of scientific truth, creat e confusion. When it...

  As doctors, curiosity can be the driving factor to a long, successful , and fulfilling career. It can be the difference between daily repetition and years of practicing evolved education. For Barton Schmitt, MD, curiosity has been a transformative force for over 50 years, influencing his approach to teaching residents, patient encounters and career development. Otherwise known as a true icon of...

Digital content is at the center of our society and its prevalence continues to grow. Storytelling on digital platforms allows the medical community to showcase groundbreaking research and connect with audiences, who otherwise may not be privy to this information. Experts like Joshua Williams , MD, are at the forefront of some of this innovation. In October 2023, he received the Advancement in Res...

Pediatricians, families, and pharmacists are faced with increasing drug costs and a vast array of complex biologic therapies . Up -to-date knowledge on prescribing practice is constantly a need , specifically regarding generics and the availability of biosimilar and interchangeable biosimilar agents. According to a report from t he Association for Accessible Medicines, t he U . S . healthcare syst...

For the second time in Charting Pediatrics history, we brought a live audience together to watch the taping of an episode with a guest who has made an everlasting impression on our hospital system. This time, the show was for our colleagues here at Children's Hospital Colorado .  Our guest is one of the top healthcare executives within pediatric hospitals in North America. Don't just take our word...

Every day , we see patients whose medical hurdles land them at hospitals like Children's Hospital Colorado. There are many answers our providers and specialists can provide when giving patient families a medical diagnosis, but many of those same children are facing gaps and inequities socially. Often, they fall into different minority groups facing disparities in healthcare equality. Medical insur...

While considerable progress has been made in reducing cigarette smoking among our nation's youth, the tobacco product landscape continues to evolve. It includes a variety of tobacco products, including smokeless and electronic products such as e-cigarettes. E-cigarettes entered the U . S . marketplace around 2007 , and since 2014 they have been the most used tobacco product among youth. E-cigarett...

In a busy outpatient practice, timely access to up-to-date clinical resources is crucial to delivering evidence-based care. In the olden days, books and journal articles were the go-to method. Today, technology creates a more user-friendly method of receiving the most recent information . Say goodbye to having to order the latest edition of a book and hello to automatic updates. Our Children's Hos...

In today's fast - paced work environment, it can be easy to feel overwhelmed. Due to that intense pace, it's important for employees and employers alike , to promote healthy working behaviors and surroundings. Healthy employees are more productive, have fewer absences, are less prone to work - related injury and are less likely to burn out. "Leading others is how you support them when they show up...

Suicide is the second l eading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults ages 10 to 24. Roughly 7 % to 8% of adolescents attempt suicide each year and 17% report significant suicidal ideation. However, while so many kids are affected, diagnosing them isn' t so simple. "We know the numbers have climbed significantly. If you look at the trends, we'r e probably nearly doubl e what we...

One goal in our healthcare improvement is to achieve  equitable access to high quality emergency care for kids, regardless of where that child is physically located . Children have unique characteristics and needs , especially in the emergency setting, and the reality is that not all kids have access to specific pediatric care . In fact, 80% of children receive emergency care in general emergency...

2023 has been an impactful year. We kicked it off by c ontinuing to cover topics under our mental health series. The rise of teen substance abuse and addiction, the intersection between physical and mental health, as well as depression and other mood disorders are just a few of the topics we dove into. Season 6 wrapped up by discussing the trauma and care around gun violence and highlighting some...

In 2021, federal rules from the 21 st Century Cures Act mandated that most clinical notes be made available in real-time, online and free of charge to patients. This practice , commonly known as "open notes , " was a significant step towards enhancing medical information transparency –– a vital step in reinforcing trust in the provider-patient relationship. However, it also introduced complexities...

Vaccines are so successful that many people have never seen the diseases they prevent, resulting in misperceptions that vaccines are not needed. While anti-vaccination sentiment and misinformation increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, about 88% of Americans still say they feel the overall benefits of childhood vaccines outweigh the risks. Communicating vaccine science to the public is even more...

For most of our careers, our treatments for genetic - based diseases have been supportive, not curative. Our medication recommendations for patients have been based on the expected response of the average individual , but as experts explain, these practices are going to change fast. We are on the cusp of a revolution for two main reasons. First, the ability to understand one's unique genetic profi...

Our medical community stretches far and wide , with experts that wear many hats. One prevalent group making an impact on the future of childhood medicine is our pediatric trainees. In 1989 , the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) founded the Section on Pediatric Trainees with a goal to empower and enable pediatric trainees to be strong leaders and advocates for the health and well-being of child...

Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) is one of the most common causes of childhood respiratory illness, resulting in annual outbreaks among all age groups. In the United States, an estimated 60,000 to 80,000 children , the majority of whom are under 6 months of age, are hospitalized each year. Approximately 100 to 300 kids die from this infection each year. RSV is the single most common cause of deat...

    The preteen and teenage years are taxing and have become increasingly difficult for a multitude of reasons. This is a part of the patient population that pediatricians really worry about. Part of the angst of this time of life has always been the changes that occur to kids' bodies as they grow –   p articularly for young girls . T his experience is different as they experience menarche , the o...

We live in a country where medical experts are breaking barriers and changing outcomes on a daily basis, so it's always exciting when we get to celebrate one of our own. Recorded at the 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D . C. , this episode honors David Keller, MD, who was recently named the recipient of the 2023 AAP Job Lewis Smith Award....

In the United States, 77% of vector-borne diseases are transmitted by ticks and numbers have increas ed dramatically in recent decades.  While Lyme disease may be the most common in the country, with an estimated 475,000 new cases each year, there are many other vector-borne diseases affecting people every day.   Information is constantly shifting related to current and predicted changes in the ep...

For parents expecting a newborn, their top priority is bringing a healthy baby into this world. But it's not just their responsibility while their baby is in the womb. As newborns, important screenings are changing health outcomes. Over 98% of U . S . newborns are screened for hearing loss and about 6,000 U . S . infants born are identified early with a permanent hearing loss. In all 50 states and...

We have listeners all over the world, many of whom are  Spanish - speaking . Did you know we have a sister podcast, Pediatras en Línea ? It stands out as one of the only podcasts in Spanish that focuses on medical education . About two and a half years ago , Pediatras en Línea launched and became a critical resource for pediatricians all throughout the U . S . and Latin America. Fast forward to to...

Miracles happen every day and  it's an honor when we can celebrate them. This year marks the 60 th anniversary o f the start of newborn screening in the United States. Th e program identifies infants with specific genetic conditions that are asymptomatic at birth and ensures they can receive prompt, lifesaving medical interventions. Over its lifespan, th e program has saved countless lives. New re...

During the 2022-2023 admission cycle, about 22,700 students enrolled in medical school in the United States. In this country alone, we have 154 medical schools offering an MD program. Many of these schools are actively working to incorporate modern learning principles into their structure. It's all a part of a larger goal to align the forces affecting the delivery of care with educational prioriti...