Pediatric News articles from December 2006

Pediatric News archives from December 2006

Group visits help teens shed weight.(News)
December 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Group visits involving overweight adolescents and their parents led to an 8-pound average weight loss over 10 weeks, Dr. Jonathan Fanburg reported at a congress on childhood obesity. The program relied on weekly group visits...

Abnormal behavior may be side effect of taking Tamiflu: neuropsychiatric events lead to warnings.(News)
December 1, 2006... ROCKVILLE, MD. -- Reports of neuropsychiatric events, including cases of self-injurious behavior and delirium, in children and adolescents treated with oseltamivir for influenza are the basis of a new recommendation to closely monitor children...

Amoxicillin, penicillin fail too often vs. strep throat.(News)
December 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- So many children with group A [beta]-hemolytic streptococcal tonsillopharyngitis failed treatment with amoxicillin or penicillin that neither drug should be used for this indication alone, investigators reported at two separate...

Premeal oral insulin looks promising.(News)
December 1, 2006... TORONTO -- A formulation of insulin that is sprayed in the mouth and absorbed buccally appears to control glucose as well as injected insulin when used before a meal, Dr. Gerald Bernstein reported at the joint annual meeting of the Canadian...

Tipranavir-ritonavir suspension is option for multidrug-resistant HIV in 2- to 18-year-olds.(News)
December 1, 2006... TORONTO -- The protease inhibitor tipranavir boosted with ritonavir and formulated as a suspension that is easier for children to swallow than big "horse pills"--is safe and effective against multidrug-resistant HIV in treatment-experienced...

Home nebulizer misuse cited in asthma deaths.(News)
December 1, 2006... SALT LAKE CITY -- Misuse of home nebulizers appears to be an important factor in many asthma deaths in children and young adults, Dr. Amit Gupta said at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians. His retrospective...

Necrotizing pneumonia diagnoses are on rise.(News)
December 1, 2006... MONTREAL -- Necrotizing pneumonia is a more common complication of community-acquired pediatric pneumonia than was previously appreciated, Dr. Gregory Sawicki and associates reported at the Seventh International Congress on Pediatric...

Avoidance after injury may be posttraumatic stress.(News)
December 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Children hospitalized for moderate to severe physical injuries face a high risk of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms and psychological impairment if they display certain avoidance behaviors, Dr. Christopher Petersen said in an...

Computers can introduce new prescribing errors.(News)
December 1, 2006... Computerized physician order entry has been hailed as a breakthrough for reducing medication errors, but the systems can introduce new types of mistakes that can themselves lead to adverse drug reactions and other errors, according to research...

New Congress could expand SCHIP, offer pay fix; analysts anticipate a new direction in health policy when Democratic leadership takes effect on the Hill.(News)(State Children's Health Insurance Program)
December 1, 2006... The changes in leadership brought about by the November mid-term elections are likely to result in significant shifts in the way Congress approaches health policy issues, according to several experts. Analysts are anticipating a new...

Voters acted on smoking, abortion initiatives at state level.(News)
December 1, 2006... BOSTON -- Voters in several states made their voices heard last month on smoking bans and restrictions on abortion. Public health experts offered their views on the ballot initiatives at the annual meeting of the American Public Health...

Data watch.(News)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Less Than a Quarter of Office-Based Physicians Use Electronic Medical Records 2001 18% 2002 17% 2003 17% 2004 21% 2005 24% Note: Based on an annual survey that included 1,281 physicians in 2005. Source:...

Case histories document deadliness of C. sordellii.(Infectious Diseases)(Disease/Disorder overview)
December 1, 2006... A healthy 4-year-old boy sustained a closed fracture of the arm and died of Clostridium sordellii infection 4 days later. Death occurred despite intravenous antibiotic therapy and aggressive surgical debridement of necrotic tissue. Dr....

Prebiotics, probiotics are useful now.(ID Consult)
December 1, 2006... Prebiotics and probiotics might offer a way to both prevent and treat disease by enhancing the body's natural immune defense mechanisms. Recognition that certain naturally occurring bacteria in the gut might be beneficial to health dates...

Fluconazole prophylaxis in NICU not linked to resistance.(ID Consult)
December 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Fluconazole prophylaxis for invasive candidiasis in extremely low-birth-weight infants is not associated with the emergence of fluconazole-resistant Candida species, Dr. C. Mary Healy said at the annual meeting of the Infectious...

Vaccinating children may cut influenza burden.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Providing the influenza vaccine to as many eligible schoolchildren as possible might reduce the burden of influenza in the entire community, Dr. Kathleen M. Neuzil said at a meeting on clinical vaccinology sponsored by the National...

Patient recall system improves vaccination rates.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Several strategies have been shown to increase vaccination coverage in children, Dr. Jeanne M. Santoli said at a meeting on clinical vaccinology sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. Five interventions...

Visiting dogs harbor C. difficile, MRSA, Salmonella.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... SAN ANTONIO -- Dogs serving as visitation-therapy animals in health care facilities have tested positive for Clostridium difficile and can also harbor Salmonella and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, according to new research. ...

Outbreak shows vaccine value; azithromycin prophylaxis fails.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- An analysis of a pertussis outbreak at a day care center in Israel revealed that the efficacy of the acellular pertussis vaccine in children who were vaccinated was 93%, Dr. Ellen S. Bamberger reported during a poster session...

Local factors determine pertussis booster efficacy.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Preliminary results from a European study suggest that the appropriate time for pertussis booster administration after school age may differ according to local factors such as circulation of the disease, the type of vaccine,...

Minority infants at higher risk for pertussis from adults, teens.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... TORONTO -- Adults and teens with waning immunity to pertussis are putting infants--particularly minority infants--as well as themselves at unnecessary risk for developing the bacterial disease, Dr. Irini Daskalaki said at the annual meeting of...

Issues aired on immunizing children with cancer.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... BALTIMORE -- One of the most common questions from pediatricians is when to immunize cancer patients under their care, said Dr. Patrick Brown, a pediatric oncologist at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore. Chemotherapy and radiation...

First-time flu shot rates fall short.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Compliance with the recommended two doses of influenza vaccine for children being vaccinated for the first time is suboptimal, based on data from three flu seasons involving 125,928 children younger than 9 years of age. Previous research...

Bacteria, viruses jointly cause AOM.(Clinical Capsules)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Coinfection with both bacteria and viruses caused 52 of 79 (66%) cases of new-on-set acute otitis media in children who had otorrhea through tympanostomy tubes, reported Dr. Aino Ruohola and colleagues in the December issue of Clinical...

Circumcision may reduce STI risk.(Clinical Capsules)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... Males who were not circumcised in childhood were more than twice as likely to develop sexually transmitted infections in young adulthood, even after controlling for sex practices, according to a 25-year birth cohort study. The findings...

Rhinovirus causes more infections than thought; early infection with rhinovirus appears to increase the risk of children later developing asthma.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... ASPEN, COLO. -- The molecular DNA techniques of the past few years have shed much new light on rhinovirus infection, including the fact that rhinovirus causes more lower respiratory tract infections than previously thought and that there may be...

Strep throat risks called exaggerated, Tx rationale changed.(Infectious Diseases)
December 1, 2006... ASPEN, COLO. -- The risk that a sore throat will lead to rheumatic fever has always been vastly exaggerated, and it may be lower now than it once was. In fact, the risk is one of the major myths of medicine, Dr. Michael Radetsky said at a...

hMPV tied to alveolar pneumonia.(Infectious Diseases)(Human metapneumovirus)
December 1, 2006... SAN FRANCISCO -- Human metapneumovirus emerged as the second most common virus detected during a 4-year study of young children with alveolar pneumonia who are admitted to the emergency room, Dr. Dana G. Wolf reported at the annual Interscience...

Being an athletic supporter.(Letters From Maine)
December 1, 2006... After practicing for more than 30 years in the same small town, one finds oneself draped in a wide variety of perceptions--some well deserved and some not. Among the ones I wear most proudly is: "If you are injured, Dr. Wilkoff is the guy to...

More ideas on marketing.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... Thanks to Dr. Charles Scott for his great article on marketing ("Marketing Yourself, Part 2," Efficient Pediatrician Practices, September 2006, p. 70). I have found that the best marketing tools are television appearances and newspaper...

Medical home excludes child psychiatry.(Letters)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2006... In the era when integration, continuity, and collaboration spell out effective evidence-based medicine, child psychiatry has been left behind. The medical home model, for example, conspicuously excludes the profession. While the rest of...

Does drug testing have a place in our schools? Testing is a deterrent that works.(Point / Counterpoint)
December 1, 2006... Addiction is a pediatric-onset disease that needs a public health response. In much the same way that school tuberculosis tests identify children who are sick and can spread a dangerous disease, student drug testing helps identify kids who have...

Does drug testing have a place in our schools? There are too many problems to ignore.(Point / Counterpoint)
December 1, 2006... I think we can agree on a couple of points. For starters, adolescent alcohol and drug use is a serious health problem in this country, and I do believe all adolescents should be screened for use every year. I would also acknowledge that it...

Spina bifida patients need screening for ADHD: studies of patients with spina bifida have found that they are at risk for multiple neurobehavioral deficits.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- Routine screening of spina bifida patients for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder should become a standard practice for physicians, Dr. Scott W. Stuart said at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and...

Down syndrome children have higher cholesterol levels.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- Children with Down syndrome appear to have a more atherogenic lipid profile than do their unaffected siblings, Dr. Tahira G. Adelekan reported at the annual meeting of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. ...

Concerta may benefit children who have ADHD plus epilepsy.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Childhood mental disorders)
December 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- In children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy, treatment with ostomotic release oral system methylphenidate produced no serious adverse events, no increase in seizures, and a significant decrease in the...

Diagnoses of depression doubled in a decade.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(childhood disorders)
December 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Between 1990 and 2001, the number of children and adolescents diagnosed with depression increased 2.4-fold, and the use of antidepressants increased from 44% to 59%, according to a nationwide study of physician office visits. ...

Teens who were LBW show deficits.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(health of teens who were low birth weight neonates)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Adolescents who were low-birth-weight neonates but had no overt disabilities show more motor and cognitive deficits than normal, reported Dr. Agnes H. Whitaker of Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute and her associates....

The dark side of sweet dreams.(Behavioral Consult)(sleep related issues in children )
December 1, 2006... We know that more than 50% of children have nightmares and 20%-30% of children have significant sleep disruption at some point in their development. Knowing these facts, I am surprised that more families don't bring up sleep issues during...

Adenotonsillectomy linked to improved sleep and behavior.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- Adenotonsillectomy improved both sleep and behavior in a pair of studies presented at the Combined Otolaryngology Spring Meetings. Children with either obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) or mild sleep disordered breathing...

Comorbid depression may aggravate ADHD in youth.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Youth with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and a history of major or minor depression reported significantly greater levels of functional impairment, family conflict, and adverse and traumatic life events, compared with...

Current & upcoming meetings.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... National Foundation for Infectious Diseases: Clinical Vaccinology Course Medical University of South Carolina: Frontiers in Pediatrics Las Vegas Seminar: Pediatric Update American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ...

Give teens with ADHD control, gain compliance: patients should feel that they are respected and are equal partners with their doctors about medications.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder need to be listened to by their physicians and given a sense of being in control of their lives and their therapy, Dr. Howard Schubiner said at the annual meeting of the...

Atomoxetine may benefit children, teens with ADHD plus anxiety.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... SAN DIEGO -- Atomoxetine is effective and well tolerated in children and adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and a coexisting anxiety disorder, results from a randomized, placebo-controlled trial show. "If you have...

High TNF-[alpha] in spinal fluid could be early signal of autistic regression.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(tumor necrosis factor)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... CHICAGO -- A high level of tumor necrosis factor-[alpha] in cerebrospinal fluid, but not serum, may be an early indicator for neuroinflammation and possibly autism, according to a study of eight autistic children with regression. Although...

Long-term effects of bullying vary by gender.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Bullying is a serious issue for the health of children and young adolescents because it is associated with the subsequent development of serious assault behavior and can have long-term consequences, particularly in girls, Dr. Joseph...

Study says autism-specific tool is more effective for screening.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... PHILADELPHIA -- Autism-specific screening conducted at critical intervals is more effective in the early identification of autism than is using a general developmental instrument as a first-line screening technique, Dr. Susan E. Levy said at...

Sertraline response varies with age in depressed children, teens.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2006... Children aged 6-11 years with major depressive disorder have a significantly faster first response to both sertraline and a placebo, compared with adolescents aged 12-17 years, Dr. Craig L. Donnelly of Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in...

Screen teens for prescription, OTC drug misuse.(Behavioral Pediatrics)(over the counter )
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Adolescents should be screened at all annual health maintenance visits for the misuse of alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs--including prescription and over-the-counter medications, experts on adolescent substance abuse said at the...

Customize Tx in adolescents' major depression.(Behavioral Pediatrics)
December 1, 2006... MENDOZA, ARGENTINA -- When it comes to adolescents with depression, physicians would do well to customize treatment to the individual needs of each patient, Dr. Harold I. Eist said at the 6th World Congress on Depressive Disorders. ...

Cases show pattern of acute confusional migraine.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... LOS ANGELES -- Acute confusional migraines in children and adolescents are most common in young boys and are often associated with head trauma, Dr. A. David Rothner reported at the annual scientific meeting of the American Headache Society. ...

Toilet training children with Down syndrome.(Special Needs: Realizing Potential)
December 1, 2006... Toilet training is a fairly easy experience for most families, but the task can be more difficult when training children with Down syndrome. Many parents of children with developmental delays or disabilities wait for their child to show...

Walk-to-school program works in inner-city neighborhood.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- Walk-to-school programs can have an impact, even where you might least expect it, in less-than-affluent inner-city schools, David Levinger, Ph.D., reported at the annual research meeting of Academy-Health. Getting more children...

Assess need for fluoride varnish before age 1.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... The ideal candidates for fluoride varnishes are children who have a moderate to high risk of dental caries based on an oral health risk assessment before 1 year of age, Steven M. Adair, D.D.S., said in an interview. The risk factors for...

Clinical consult: tips from a pediatric neurologist.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... AMELIA ISLAND, FLA. -- There are some things a child neurologist consult should but may not tell you, pediatric neurologist Dr. William R. Turk said at a meeting on pediatrics for the primary care physician, sponsored by Nemours. Take a...

Ease of use key for adolescent contraception.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- When it comes to choosing an effective method of contraception for adolescents, ease of use should probably top the list of requirements, Dr. Geri Hewitt said at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. ...

Treatment strategy takes on teens' somatic pain.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- Adolescents with somatic pain syndromes endure extensive and expensive medical tests, fall behind in school, and cause significant disruption in their families, Dr. Steven Weisman said during a roundtable session at a meeting...

Prebiotic formula prevents dermatitis in infants.(Clinical Rounds)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... At 6 months, infants who consumed formula enriched with prebiotic oligosaccharides similar to those in human milk had less than half the incidence of atopic dermatitis--and better indicators of digestive health as well--compared with infants...

Program using MiraLax ups constipation cures.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- An evidence-based management program significantly increases the resolution of childhood constipation compared with standard care, according to study results presented at the annual meeting of the North American Society for Pediatric...

Capsule endoscopy called safe, clinically useful.(Clinical Rounds)(diagnosing and managing pediatric gastrointestinal diseases)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Capsule endoscopy appears safe and effective for the diagnosis and management of children with gastrointestinal diseases, with the technology altering clinical management for nearly half of the patients in a retrospective study. ...

Acid, nonacid reflux may trigger cough in children with asthma, Florida study finds.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... ORLANDO -- Reflux prompted coughing for more than a third of pediatric patients with asthma in a study, suggesting both acid and nonacid reflux can be important triggers for some patients. Multiple studies suggest an association between...

FDA: rufinamide 'approvable' for seizure indications.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... The Food and Drug Administration has issued an "approvable" letter for the use of rufinamide as an adjunctive treatment for seizures associated with LennoxGastaut syndrome and as adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures with and without...

Serotonergic brainstem anomalies found in SIDS.(Clinical Rounds)(sudden infant death syndrome)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... Abnormalities in the medullary serotonergic system are more extensive than researchers have realized in babies who died from SIDS, reported David S. Paterson, Ph.D., a pathologist at Children's Hospital Boston, and his associates. These...

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy improves cognition in CP: all children advanced their physical, speech, and motor capabilities over baseline after 6 months of therapy.(Clinical Rounds)(cerebral palsy)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen therapy significantly improves cognition for children with cerebral palsy, compared with standard therapy alone, according to an open, ongoing, observational study. All participants...

Parents pleased with HBOT for cerebral palsy patients.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. -- Parents reported a nearly 50% overall improvement in their children with severe cerebral palsy following hyperbaric oxygen therapy, according to a study reported at a symposium on hyperbaric therapy. To assess...

Trihexyphenidyl deserves further study for dystonic CP.(Clinical Rounds)(cerebral palsy)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... BOSTON -- Trihexyphenidyl looks promising for the treatment of dystonic cerebral palsy and deserves further study, Dr. James Edward Rice reported at the annual meeting of the American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. ...

Pediatric melanoma rare, with puzzling features.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... PORTLAND, ORE. -- Melanoma in a pediatric patient is a lot like Sasquatch, Dr. Seth Orlow remarked at the annual meeting of the Pacific Northwest Dermatological Society. It's a very rare thing to see, but if it's around, you surely don't...

Lactamide-MEA looks good for cradle cap.(Clinical Rounds)(lactamide monoethanolamine)(Brief article)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... RHODES, GREECE -- Lactamide monoethanolamine, a lactic acid-derived humectant commonly found in over-the-counter lotions and bath gels, appears to be beneficial for the treatment of cradle cap, Virginie Ribet, Ph.D., said at the 15th Congress...

Omnaris nasal spray, Allegra oral suspension.(New & Approved)
December 1, 2006... Omnaris Nasal Spray (ciclesonide nasal spray, Altana Pharma US Inc.) The Food and Drug Administration approved Omnaris (ciclesonide nasal spray) for the treatment of nasal symptoms associated with seasonal and perennial allergic rhinitis...

Sleep apnea and opioids are a potentially lethal combination.(Clinical Rounds)(Clinical report)
December 1, 2006... MONTREAL -- People with obstructive sleep apnea may have exaggerated respiratory depression in response to opioid medications, making standard doses potentially lethal for them, according to several experts. "This is a dangerous if not...

Early, aggressive treatment of pediatric pain urged.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... ANAHEIM, CALIF. -- There's no time to lose in effectively managing pediatric pain, a pediatric anesthesiologist stressed at a meeting sponsored by the Los Angeles Pediatric Society. Dr. Steven J. Weisman, chairman of pain management at...

Child passenger safety improving in some areas.(Clinical Rounds)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Improving child passenger safety was a hot topic at the Injury & Poison Prevention Section meeting at the recent annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Several strategies were presented for promoting safety...

To improve, put practice under the microscope: the Bright Futures and Practicing Safety projects are cited, along with the value of an outside facilitator.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Delivering optimal well child care in the office depends on teamwork, teamwork, and more teamwork. And the best way to determine how well your "medical home team" is working is to look at how you are doing with the help of an...

Going from pediatric to adult care for diabetes is a problem.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2006... ATLANTA -- Children with type 1 diabetes tend to get excellent, dedicated care from diabetologists who specialize in working with children and adolescents with juvenile diabetes. But when it comes time to "graduate" to adult care, these...

Obesity costs $49 billion for every 4 million born in U.S.(Practice Trends)
December 1, 2006... SEATTLE -- Obesity costs the United States $49 billion for each group of 4 million children born, according to findings presented by Dr. Matthew M. Davis at the annual research meeting of AcademyHealth. That $49 billion figure reflects the...

Performance measures to focus on quality of care.(Practice Trends)(Health Employer Data and Information Set)
December 1, 2006... The National Committee for Quality Assurance is finalizing new performance measures that will look at quality of care all the way down to the physician group and even the individual physician level. The measures, which will form the...

Paxil settlement.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit that alleged that the company inappropriately promoted the antidepressant Paxil to children. The $63.8 million settlement will include any individuals in the...

New children's ad guidelines.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Advertisers have adopted an updated set of voluntary guidelines that spell out appropriate conduct in advertising to children under age 12. The guidelines were produced by the Children's Advertising Review Unit, which is administered by the...

Misusing Rx pain relievers.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... More people are misusing prescription pain relievers for the first time than are trying marijuana, according to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. About 2.7 million individuals aged 12 years and older...

Price tag for teen births.(Policy & Practice)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... The public cost of teenage births was more than $9 billion in 2004, according to an estimate of costs to federal, state, and local governments for all births to women aged 19 years and younger prepared by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen...

Investigating SSRIs and suicide.(Policy & Practice)(selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors)(Brief article)
December 1, 2006... Officials at the National Institute of Mental Health, part of the National Institutes of Health, are funding new research to help answer questions about the association between selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and suicidality....

Standards aim to enable EHRs, retire clipboards.(Practice Trends)(electronic health records)
December 1, 2006... WASHINGTON -- Eliminating "the stupid clipboard" may be the simplest, most straightforward benefit that would come from electronic interoperability standards designed to allow physicians' offices to communicate with hospitals, labs, insurers,...

The lifelong pursuit of learning.(On the Learning Curve)(lifelong learning for physicians)(Column)
December 1, 2006... In an earlier column, I wrote about the learning that continues after residency. However, as I look at the stack of journals I am intending to read, I am reminded of the challenges of actually keeping up to date. (In the interest of full...

Medicaid, low-income families, and reimbursement.(Health Policy: The Fine Line)
December 1, 2006... I am torn by my duty to treat low-income children and my need to run a financially viable practice. Reimbursement for my services for Medicaid-enrolled children is very poor. Why are pediatricians paid so little, and what relief--if any--lies...