Using social media for patient care, research, and professional development: A North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition position paper.

The advent of social media has changed numerous aspects of modern life, with users developing and maintaining personal and professional relationships, following and sharing breaking news and importantly, searching for and disseminating health information and medical research. In the present paper, we reviewed available literature to outline the potential uses, pitfalls and impacts of social media for providers, scientists and institutions involved in digestive health in the domains of patient care, research and professional development. We recommend that these groups become more active participants on social media platforms to combat misinformation, advocate for patients, and curate and disseminate valuable research and educational materials. We also recommend that societies such as NASPGHAN assist its members in accessing training on effective social media use and the creation and maintenance of public-facing profiles and that academic institutions incorporate substantive social media contributions into academic promotion processes.

Intestinal Failure-Associated Liver Disease and Growth Pre- and Post-Transition to a Composite Lipid Emulsion.

OBJECTIVES: Infants with intestinal failure have an increased risk of intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). Composite intravenous lipid emulsion (ILE) may reduce the risk of cholestasis. The primary outcome was to compare IFALD rates in infants with intestinal failure, between those receiving a composite ILE versus soybean oil ILE. The secondary outcome compared growth between these 2 groups. METHODS: At our 2 tertiary neonatal/pediatric hospitals, we identified all patients (≤1 year old) who received ≥6 weeks parenteral nutrition (PN) from 2010 to 2018. Data included liver and growth parameters. IFALD was defined as serum conjugated bilirubin (CB) >33 µmol/L (≥2 mg/dL). Nonparametric tests were used for all comparisons. RESULTS: Fifty infants (35 composite ILE, 15 soybean oil ILE) were included. Those on composite ILE received PN for longer (10.1 vs 7.6 weeks; P = 0.001) and had higher baseline CB (29 vs 6.5 µmol/L; P = 0.001). No differences were found by 6 weeks (14.5 vs 5 µmol/L; P = 0.54) and by PN cessation (4 vs 4 µmol/L; P = 0.33). The proportion of patients with IFALD decreased from 54% to 20% for composite ILE, while stable given soybean oil ILE (7%). There were no differences in weight, length, or head circumference z scores ( P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: In our institutions, over 8 years, chronic intestinal failure was rare. Composite ILE was the predominant lipid choice for infants who needed longer courses of PN or had developed cholestasis. Despite longer PN duration, and higher baseline CB, overall rates of IFALD decreased with composite ILE. Regardless of parenteral lipid used, there were no differences in growth.

Mechanical Complications in Central Lines Using Taurolidine Versus Ethanol Lock Therapy in Children With Intestinal Failure.

OBJECTIVES: Ethanol lock therapy (ELT) is effective in reducing rates of catheter-related-bloodstream infections (CRBSI) in the pediatric intestinal failure (IF) population; however, ELT may increase the risk of line occlusion and breakage, significantly impacting preservation of vascular access. During a period of ethanol shortage, Health Canada temporarily approved the use of taurolidine lock therapy (TLT) in pediatric iF patients previously utilizing ELT. This provided a unique opportunity to directly compare rates of central venous catheter (CVC) complications, including CRBSi, breaks, occlusions, repairs and replacements in patients who utilized both ELT and TLT. METHODS: A retrospective study of pediatric IF patients managed by three Western Canadian intestinal rehabilitation programs was performed. Event rates in patients who used both ELT and TLT during the study period were compared using Poisson regression analysis. RESULTS: In 13 patients with 10,187 catheter days (CDs), TLT (vs ELT) had lower rates of CVC breaks (1.11 vs 5.19/1000 CDs, P < 0.001), occlusions (0.83 vs 4.06/1000 CDs, P  = 0.01) and repairs (1.94 vs 5.64/1000 CDs, P  = 0.01). There was no difference in CRBSI rates (0.83 vs 2.03/1000 CDs, P  = 0.25) or rates of CVC replacements due to mechanical events (0.28 vs 1.81/1000 CDs, P  = 0.08). CONCLUSIONS: Although there was no difference in CRBSI rates, TLT was associated with lower rates of mechanical complications compared to ELT in this study. Taurolidine may be a suitable alternative to ethanol in preventing CRBSI and may be associated with improved preservation of central lines in children with IF.

Implementation and evaluation of a curriculum on the assessment and treatment of disruptive behaviour disorders.

Disruptive behaviour disorders (DBDs)-which can include or be comorbid with disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder and disruptive mood dysregulation disorder-are commonly seen in paediatric practice. Given increases in the prescribing of atypical antipsychotics for children and youth, it is imperative that paediatric trainees in Canada receive adequate education on the optimal treatment of DBDs. We describe the development, dissemination, and evaluation of a novel paediatric resident curriculum for the assessment and treatment of DBDs in children and adolescents. Pre-post-evaluation of the curriculum showed improved knowledge in participants.

Composite Lipid Emulsion for the Infant at Risk of Intestinal Failure-associated Liver Disease: The Canadian Perspective.

Currently, in North America we are fortunate to have a number of available options for lipid emulsions to be used in the parenteral nutrition regimens for infants and children, including for long-term parenteral nutrition given intestinal failure. Neonates and infants in particular are at risk for intestinal failure-associated liver disease (IFALD). The choice of parenteral lipid emulsion will influence the risk and severity of IFALD. The purpose of this review is to discuss the rationale for the composite lipid emulsion SMOFlipid that includes soybean, medium-chain triglycerides, olive and fish oils for IFALD, with focus on the Canadian practice and experience.

Medical Education Blog and Podcast Utilization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Introduction The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic disrupted traditional in-person learning models. Free Open Access Medical (FOAM) education resources naturally filled this void, so we evaluated how medical blog and podcast utilization changed during the early months of the pandemic. Methods Academic medical podcast and blog producers were surveyed on blog and podcast utilization immediately before (January-March 2020) and after (April-May 2020) the COVID-19 pandemic declaration and subsequent lockdown. Utilization is quantified in terms of blog post pageviews and podcast downloads. Linear regression was used to estimate the effect of publication during the COVID-19 period on 30-day downloads or pageviews. A linear mixed model was developed to confirm this relationship after adjustment for independent predictors of higher 30-day downloads or pageviews, using the podcast or blog as a random intercept. Results Compared to the pre-pandemic period, downloads and pageviews per unique blog and podcast publication significantly increased for blogs (median 30-day pageviews 802 to 1860, p<0.0001) but not for podcasts (median 30-day downloads 2726 to 1781, p=0.27). Publications that contained COVID-19 content were strongly associated with higher monthly utilization (ß=7.21, 95% CI 6.29-8.14 p<0.001), and even non-COVID-19 material had higher utilization in the early pandemic (median 30-day downloads/pageviews 868 to 1380, p<0.0001). Discussion The increased blog pageviews during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated the important role of blogs in rapid knowledge translation. Podcasts did not experience a similar increase in utilization.

Preparing residents to deal with human trafficking.

BACKGROUND: Victims of human trafficking (HT) are predisposed to numerous health concerns. Many encounter health care practitioners during captivity, but awareness and knowledge among front-line physicians is low. Limited data exist on attempts to address this within residency training programmes. Formal curriculum time in residency is limited and online modules may be a useful educational option. METHODS: Residents in family medicine, emergency medicine and general paediatrics at the University of Alberta were invited to participate. They completed short surveys to assess knowledge both before and after completing an online learning module either individually (n = 15) or in a facilitated session (n = 17). Baseline and post-intervention changes in self-reported and tested knowledge were assessed. RESULTS: Thirty-two residents completed the pre-intervention survey: only 6% self-identified as somewhat knowledgeable on HT and 16% knew the red flags used to identify victims. Eighty-one percent wanted this topic incorporated into residency training, but only 6% and 25% had received education previously in residency or medical school, respectively. Thirteen percent were comfortable supporting victims, and 6% reported knowing how to provide support. Twenty residents completed the post-intervention survey, with improvements in both self-reported (p < 0.001) and tested (p = 0.005) knowledge of HT. Residents also reported being more prepared to identify victims (p < 0.001), more comfortable supporting victims (p < 0.001) and more confident in knowing how to support victims (p < 0.001). DISCUSSION: Baseline HT knowledge in residents providing first-contact care appears limited. Residency programmes should consider providing more HT education in order to improve competency in care. Although an online module was shown to be effective, protected time might be necessary for the widespread adoption of online education delivery.

Soy consumption and phytoestrogens: effect on serum prostate specific antigen when blood lipids and oxidized low-density lipoprotein are reduced in hyperlipidemic men.

PURPOSE: Herbal remedies high in phytoestrogens have been shown to reduce serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) and have been proposed as a treatment for prostate cancer. Soy proteins used to lower serum cholesterol are rich sources of phytoestrogens. Therefore, we assessed the effect of soy consumption on serum PSA in men who had participated in cholesterol lowering studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: For 3 to 4 weeks 46 healthy middle-aged men with a range of starting PSA values took soy (mean 44 gm. soy protein daily, 116 mg. isoflavones daily) or control foods, and a subgroup of men took a lower level of soy supplements for 3 months. PSA was measured at the start and end of each treatment. RESULTS: Soy had no significant effect on serum total or free PSA, independent of PSA starting value or isoflavone intake. The lack of effect on PSA was seen, although soy intake was sufficient to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (5.8 +/- 2.2%, p = 0.012), the estimated coronary heart disease risk (6.1 +/- 2.8% for 10 years, p = 0.032) and the serum concentration of oxidized low-density lipoprotein measured as conjugated dienes (9.5 +/- 3.4%, p = 0.008) in the 3 to 4-week study. In addition, the lack of effect of soy on PSA persisted for the 3 months of the extended study. CONCLUSIONS: At levels of soy intake which reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol any potential benefits of soy consumption on prostate cancer are likely to occur for reasons other than alterations in hormone activity.