Pediatric Healthcare

Poor care access leaves youth mental health crisis in limbo

April 23, 2024 - Only around half the kids displaying symptoms of anxiety or depression are getting a clinical diagnosis for the disorders, and even fewer are able to access care, according to a new United Hospital Fund report that paints a picture of the youth mental health crisis in America. In 2021, only 39 percent of adolescents experiencing a major depressive...

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What’s Driving Pediatric Use of Urgent Care & Retail Health?

by Sara Heath

More kids are accessing healthcare in a retail setting, with care access in grocery store clinics, pharmacy clinics, and urgent care centers up from 2021 to 2022, according to the Centers for Disease...

Medication Errors in Kids Cut in Half with Better Caregiver Education

by Sara Heath

A new study in JAMA Network Open is advocating for more depth and breadth during the pediatric hospital discharge process, asserting that providing caregiver and patient education with more health...

Pediatric Sepsis Mortality Risk Marred by Racial Health Disparities

by Sara Heath

Pediatric patients who are Black are far more likely to die from sepsis than their White counterparts, even within a single hospital, a new analysis presented at the 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics...

Racial Health Disparities Plague Mental Healthcare Access for Teens

by Sara Heath

Demand is seriously outpacing supply for adolescents with major depressive disorder, with new JAMA Pediatrics data showing that less than half of kids who needed treatment without mental healthcare...

How Neighborhood Sways Pediatric Primary and Preventive Care Access

by Sara Heath

Kids from traditionally underserved communities tend to have lower pediatric primary and preventive care access rates than their peers from more affluent places, a new JAMA Network Open study showed....

How Pediatricians Can Prepare for the RSV Vaccine Rollout

by Sara Heath

Jonathan Miller, MD, the chief of primary care at Nemours Children’s Health in Delaware, doesn’t think the RSV vaccine rollout is going to go the same as the COVID vaccines for infants and young kids. It’s probably going...

Parental Patient Portal Use Rate in Pediatrics Lower than 50%

by Sara Heath

Only around 43 percent of parents or guardians use the patient portal to manage their child’s health, representing a pretty serious lapse in patient engagement, according to a new survey from the...

Designing a Referral Network to Address the Youth Mental Health Crisis

by Sara Heath

The US is staring down a youth mental health crisis that’s more than getting out of hand. And with mental healthcare access demand outpacing supply, healthcare providers are finding themselves at a loss for how they can meet...

Follow-Up Care Missing for Half of Kids with Mental Health Emergencies

by Sarai Rodriguez

A recent study showed that rates of follow-up care are lacking among children with mental health emergencies, underscoring the need for stronger patient engagement after hospitalization. These...

Considering Disability in Social Determinants of Health Referrals

by Sara Heath

When Colin O’Reilly, DO, FAAP, FACOP, FCCM, makes a social determinants of health referral in his pediatric hospital, he can’t just send the child and family to any social services provider. He has to make sure that social...

Parent, Caregiver Engagement Low During Pediatric Well-Child Visits

by Sara Heath

Parent and caregiver engagement is missing from many pediatric well-child visits, with new survey data from the University of Michigan showing that parents and guardians come unprepared for those...

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Screening Effective in Primary Care

by Sara Heath

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are increasingly recognized as influencing pediatric health and well-being into adulthood, as new data in JAMA Network Open signals that organizations that screen...

Patient-Provider Communication About Vaccines Lacking in Pediatrics

by Sara Heath

Patient-provider communication about vaccines, particularly in the pediatric setting, is falling short, with at least one in seven parents reporting in a recent C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital poll...

Safety Concerns Lead COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Latino Parents

by Sarai Rodriguez

While COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is not a new concept, especially among minorities, Latino parents still hold safety concerns when it comes to vaccinating their children, according to a survey sent to...

Pediatric Vaccination Adherence Hinges on Parental Vaccination Status

by Sarai Rodriguez

A new study from the Oregon Health & Science University suggests that pediatric vaccination adherence is strongly related to parental vaccination status. These findings may be an answer to quell...

Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pediatric SDOH

by Sara Heath

As part of their pursuit of understanding and addressing social determinants of health, medical professionals should also consider adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). According to data from the National Survey of Children’s...

Which Adverse Childhood Experiences Increase Premature Death Risk?

by Sara Heath

Living in poverty, separation from a parent, and parental harshness or neglect are all key adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that lead to an increased risk for premature death in adulthood,...

Subsidized Supermarkets Lower Obesity Risk for Low-Income Children

by Sarai Rodriguez

The establishment of subsidized supermarkets trimmed obesity risk among low-income children residing near those supermarkets, researchers at NYU Langone Health found, shining a light on how access to...

Race, Income Key Social Determinants Impacting Kids with Autism

by Sara Heath

Race and income are proving key social determinants of health affecting outcomes for kids with autism, who already have higher-risk health challenges, according to a new report from The Autism...