Education support services for improving school engagement and academic performance of children and adolescents with a chronic health condition.

BACKGROUND: Chronic health conditions in children and adolescents can have profound impacts on education, well-being and health. They are described as non-communicable illnesses that are prolonged in duration, do not resolve spontaneously, and rarely cured completely. Due to variations in the definition of chronic health conditions and how they are measured prevalence estimates vary considerably and have been reported to be as high as 44% in children and adolescents. Of young people with a chronic health condition, an estimated 5% are affected by severe conditions characterised by limitations to daily activities impacting their ability to attend school. School attendance is important for academic and social skill development as well as well-being. When children and adolescents are absent from school due to a chronic health condition, school engagement can be affected. Disengagement from school is associated with poorer academic achievement, social-emotional functioning and career choices. Education support services for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions aim to prevent disengagement from school, education and learning during periods where their illness caused them to miss school. However, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of educational support interventions at improving school engagement and educational/learning outcomes for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. OBJECTIVES: To describe the nature of educational support interventions for children and adolescents with a chronic health condition, and to examine the effectiveness of these interventions on school engagement and academic achievement. SEARCH METHODS: We searched eight electronic databases which span the health/medical, social sciences and education disciplines between 18 and 25 January 2021: Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Ovid). CINAHL (EBSCO), PsycINFO (EBSCO), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Applied Social Sciences Index and Abstracts: ASSIA (ProQuest), and PubMed (from 2019). We also searched five grey literature trials registers and databases between 8 and 12 February 2021 to identify additional published and unpublished studies, theses and conference abstracts, as well as snowballing reference lists of included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs), controlled before-and-after studies and interrupted time series studies that met the inclusion criteria were selected. Other inclusion criteria were: participants - must include children or adolescents (aged four to 18 years) with a chronic health condition, intervention - must include educational support, outcomes - must report the primary outcomes (i.e. school engagement or academic achievement) or secondary outcomes (i.e. quality of life, transition to school/school re-entry, mental health or adverse outcomes). DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two people independently screened titles and abstracts, and full-text articles, to identify included studies. Where disagreements arose between reviewers, the two reviewers discussed the discrepancy. If resolution was unable to be achieved, the issues were discussed with a senior reviewer to resolve the matter. We extracted study characteristic data and risk of bias data from the full texts of included studies using a data extraction form before entering the information into Review Manager 5.4.1. Two people independently extracted data, assessed risk of bias of individual studies and undertook GRADE assessments of the quality of the evidence. Meta-analysis was not possible due to the small number of studies for each outcome. Our synthesis, therefore, used vote-counting based on the direction of the effect/impact of the intervention. MAIN RESULTS: The database searches identified 14,202 titles and abstracts. Grey literature and reference list searches did not identify any additional studies that met the inclusion criteria. One hundred and twelve full-text studies were assessed for eligibility, of which four studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion in the review. All studies were randomised controlled studies with a combined total of 359 participants. All included studies were disease-specific; three studies focused on children with cancer, and one study focused on children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). There was evidence that education support improved school engagement with three of four studies favouring the intervention. Three studies measured academic achievement but only two studies provided effect estimates. Based on the vote-counting method, we found contradictory results from the studies: one study showed a positive direction of effect and the other study showed a negative direction of effect. One study measured transition back to school and found a positive impact of education support favouring the intervention (SMD 0.18, 95% CI -0.46 to 0.96, no P value reported). The result came from a single study with a small sample size (n = 30), and produced a confidence interval that indicated the possibility of a very small or no effect. The overall certainty of evidence for these three outcomes was judged to be 'very low'. Two of four studies measured mental health (measured as self-esteem). Both studies reported a positive impact of education support interventions on mental health; this was the only outcome for which the overall certainty of evidence was judged to be 'low' rather than 'very low'. No studies measured or reported quality of life or adverse effects. Risk of bias (selection, performance, detection, attrition, reporting and other bias) was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomised trials (version 1). Overall risk of bias for all studies was assessed as 'high risk' because all studies had at least one domain at high risk of bias. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: This review has demonstrated the infancy of quality research on the effectiveness of education support interventions for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions. At best, we can say that we are uncertain whether education support interventions improve either academic achievement or school engagement. Of the secondary outcomes, we are also uncertain whether education support interventions improve transition back to school, or school re-entry. However, we suggest there is some evidence that education support may slightly improve mental health, measured as self-esteem. Given the current state of the evidence of the effectiveness of education support interventions for children and adolescents with chronic health conditions, we highlight some important implications for future research in this field to strengthen the evidence that can inform effective practice and policy.

Opioids Safety in Pediatric Procedural Sedation with Ketamine.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of pre- and intraprocedural opioids on adverse events in children undergoing procedural sedation with ketamine in the emergency department (ED). STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all children aged 0-18 years who underwent procedural sedation with intravenous ketamine alone, or in combination with an opioid, at a tertiary-care pediatric ED between June 1, 2018, and August 31, 2020. We explored predictors of serious adverse events (SAEs), desaturation or respiratory intervention, and vomiting. RESULTS: Of 1164 included children (694 male, 59.6%; median age 5.0 years [IQR 2.0-8.0]), 80 (6.8%) vomited, 63 (5.4%) had a desaturation or required respiratory interventions, and 6 (0.5%) had SAEs. Pre- and intraprocedural opioids were not independent predictors of sedation-related adverse events. A concurrent respiratory illness (aOR 3.73; 95% CI 1.31-10.60, P = .01), dental procedure (aOR 3.05; 95% CI 1.25-7.21, P = .01), and a greater total ketamine dose (aOR 1.75; 95% CI 1.21-2.54, P = .003) were independent predictors of desaturation or respiratory interventions. A greater total ketamine dose (aOR 1.86; 95% CI 1.16-2.98, P = .01) and older age (aOR 1.15; 95% CI 1.07-1.24, P < .001), were independent predictors of vomiting. CONCLUSIONS: Pre- and intraprocedural opioids do not increase the likelihood of sedation-related adverse events. SAEs are rare during pediatric procedural sedation with ketamine in the ED.

Role of graduate courses in promoting educational scholarship of health care professionals.

PROBLEM ADDRESSED: Many courses are offered to health care professionals to improve educational scholarship and scholarly teaching. The literature on the effect of such courses on promoting educational scholarship and scholarly teaching is currently suboptimal. OBJECTIVE OF PROGRAM: To evaluate scholarly productivity of health care professional learners participating in 2 graduate courses in which curricula and assignments facilitated experiential learning. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: A retrospective analysis of course assignments and publications of learners from 2007 to 2014 was conducted. Learners' current positions were identified through Google Scholar searches, and publication of course work was identified through PubMed or EMBASE author searches. There were 137 learners, with a male to female ratio of 3:7, consisting of physicians (73%) and other health care professionals (27%). During the 7 years, 50% completed both courses, 42% only the first course, and 8% only the second course. Of the learners whose current positions could be identified, 66% worked at academic centres, 20% at community hospitals or office practices, and 5% were in senior leadership positions. Current positions were unidentifiable through public records for 9% of learners. Sixty-eight percent of learners (93 of 137) published 1050 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Twenty-six percent of learners (35 of 137) published 1 or more articles based on their course assignments, for a total of 49 peer-reviewed articles; 80% of articles were published within 3 years of completing the course. CONCLUSION: Experiential learning facilitated by curricular design and assignments coupled with mentorship stimulated scholarly publications. Educational courses should design curricula to promote scholarship in learners and evaluate their effect.

Health Care Organizations as Complex Adaptive Systems.

Health care organizations that deliver health care to a population are a major constituent of health care systems in many countries. Although some of the components of a health care organization may function as a simple or complicated system where interventions would yield the expected results, many parts of it function as complex systems within the organization. As such, is not always possible to predict changes or the effects of interventions on these systems due to their complex nature. Appreciation of the complex nature of health care systems and characteristics of these complex systems and their networks are necessary to manage health care organizations and changes in health care. This article described different types of systems and discusses why health care organizations are considered complex adaptive systems.

Staff Perceptions of Improving Emergency Care for Children: A Qualitative Study.

The objective of this study was to identify staff perceptions of a service improvement for pediatric emergency care at a university teaching hospital. Semistructured qualitative interviews of stakeholders were conducted, and grounded theory approach was used for analysis. Forty-one interviews were conducted with physicians, nurses, managers, and health care workers. Major themes emerging from the analysis included the physical space of and flow within the pediatric emergency department (ED), impact of technology, staffing in the ED, the effects of frontline pediatricians and emergency physicians managing children in the ED, and the need for and expectations of a pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) consultant. Human interactions among health care providers, leadership, and teaching are considered as equally important as providing the appropriate environment and qualified professionals for improving care for children in the ED. Appointment of a PEM consultant was suggested to provide leadership and education to manage relationships and implement changes. Subsequent to the study, the model of care for PEM was changed, the pediatric care delivery became more integrated with the main ED, and two PEM consultants were appointed to the institution.

Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia in a Child With Abdominal Pain and Respiratory Distress.

We report a case of late presentation of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in a child who presented to the emergency department with abdominal pain and respiratory distress. The usual and unusual presentations of congenital diaphragmatic hernia in older children and their possible complications are discussed.

Managing Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders in Emergency Departments.

Taking care of children with autism spectrum disorders is not uncommon in emergency departments as they visit hospital for acute medical and psychiatric conditions. The current prevalence and increasing incidence of autism spectrum disorders will increase the demand for hospital and outpatient services for these children, necessitating education of health care professionals and system adaptations. This paper describes a patient with autism spectrum disorder who had some challenging behavior in the emergency department when he presented with anaphylaxis and discusses management strategies that would help in caring for children with autism spectrum disorders.

A Pale Baby With Blue Blood.

A previously healthy 9-month-old boy presented to the emergency department with sudden onset of pallor and reduced activity. A detailed history and initial blood tests revealed the diagnosis of oxidant stress-induced hemolysis caused by glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency. However, the child also had a second diagnosis that was revealed with additional testing. This case is described to illustrate the dual diagnosis and management guidelines for both potentially serious conditions.

Head trauma and intracranial hemorrhage in children with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.

BACKGROUND: The current guidelines for management of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) does not address head trauma and the current emergency pediatric head trauma management guidelines do not address children with ITP. The characteristics of patients who develop intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) as a result of head trauma or the management of head trauma in patients with ITP are not clear. OBJECTIVES: Review the literature to identify and describe the characteristics and outcomes of intracranial haemorrhage as a result of head trauma in children with ITP. METHODS: We reviewed literature using Medline, Embase, and PUBMED databases from inception until December 2013. Articles were included if they described patients with head trauma and intracranial bleeding in children with ITP. Nine relevant articles met inclusion criteria and were included. Three case reports, 3 institution survey studies, and 5 retrospective chart reviews. RESULTS: There were 114 cases of ICH reported in children with ITP, and 26% (n = 30) were identified to have ICH due to head trauma. Of the 30 children with ITP who had an ICH in the context of head injury, 23% (7 patients) died as a result of ICH and 13% (4 patients) suffered significant neurological sequelae. Twenty-seven percent were 3 years or younger when the age was reported CONCLUSIONS: Intracranial haemorrhage after head trauma in children with ITP leads to significant morbidity and mortality. As such, more thorough investigations, including radiological imaging and aggressive treatment, are recommended for children with ITP presenting with head injuries.

Problem-based learning in continuing medical education: review of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of problem-based learning (PBL) in continuing medical education. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and ERIC databases were searched for randomized controlled trials published in English from January 2001 to May 2011 using key words problem-based learning, practice-based, self-directed, learner-centered, and active learning, combined with continuing medical education, continuing professional development, post professional, postgraduate, and adult learning. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials that described the effects of PBL on knowledge enhancement, performance improvement, participants' satisfaction, or patients' health outcomes were selected for analysis. SYNTHESIS: Fifteen studies were included in this review: 4 involved postgraduate trainee doctors, 10 involved practising physicians, and 1 had both groups. Online learning was used in 7 studies. Among postgraduate trainees PBL showed no significant differences in knowledge gain compared with lectures or non-case-based learning. In continuing education, PBL showed no significant difference in knowledge gain when compared with other methods. Several studies did not provide an educational intervention for the control group. Physician performance improvement showed an upward trend in groups participating in PBL, but no significant differences were noted in health outcomes. CONCLUSION: Online PBL is a useful method of delivering continuing medical education. There is limited evidence that PBL in continuing education would enhance physicians' performance or improve health outcomes.

Effect of domestic violence training: systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate the effectiveness of domestic violence education in improving physicians' knowledge, recognition, and management of abused women. DATA SOURCES: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO, ERIC, and EMBASE were searched for articles published between January 1, 2000, and November 1, 2012. This search was supplemented by manual searches for relevant articles using a combined text-word and MeSH-heading search strategy. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials were selected that used educational interventions among physicians and provided data on the effects of the interventions. SYNTHESIS: Nine randomized controlled trials were included that described different educational approaches with various outcome measures. Three studies examined the effects of educational interventions among postgraduate trainee physicians and found an increase in knowledge but no change in behaviour with regard to identifying victims of domestic violence. Six studies examined educational interventions for practising physicians. Three of these studies used multifaceted physician training that combined education with system support interventions to change physician behaviour, such as increasing general awareness of domestic violence with brochures and posters, providing aids to remind physicians how to identify victims, facilitating physician access to victim support services, and providing audits and feedback. Multifaceted educational interventions included interactive workshops, Web-based learning, and experiential training. Another study used focus-group discussions and training, and showed improved domestic violence reporting among physicians. The remaining 2 studies showed improved perceptions of practising physicians' self-efficacy using problem-based online learning. CONCLUSION: It was difficult to determine the most effective educational strategy, as the educational interventions and the outcome measures varied among the selected studies. Brief interventions for postgraduate trainee physicians improved knowledge but did not seem to affect behaviour. Online education using a problem-based learning format improved practising physicians' perceptions, knowledge, and skills in managing domestic violence. Physician training combined with system support interventions seemed to benefit domestic violence victims and increase referrals to domestic violence support resources.

Shared Decision-Making Training in Family Medicine Residency: A Scoping Review.

Shared decisions, in which physicians and patients share their agendas and make clinical decisions together, are optimal for patient-centered care. Shared decision-making (SDM) training in family medicine residency is always provided, but the best training approach for improving clinical practice is unclear. This review aims to identify the scope of the literature on SDM training in family medicine residency to better understand the opportunities for training in this area. Four databases (Embase, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science) were searched from their inception to November 2022. The search was limited to English language and text words for the following four components: (1) family medicine, (2) residency, (3) SDM, and (4) training. Of the 522 unique articles, six studies were included for data extraction and synthesis. Four studies referenced three training programs that included SDM and disease- or condition-specific issues. These programs showed positive effects on family medicine residents' knowledge, skills, and willingness to engage in SDM. Two studies outlined the requirements for SDM training in postgraduate medical education at the national level, and detailed the educational needs of family medicine residents. Purposeful SDM training during family medicine residency improves residents' knowledge, skills, and willingness to engage in SDM. Future studies should explore the effects of SDM training on clinical practice and patient care.

How to conduct an annual literature update for top articles relevant to clinical practice in geriatrics: A scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Clinical educators in geriatrics are often tasked with presenting a literature update at annual conferences and scientific meetings, which is a highly regarded continuing medical education (CME) activity. Preparation of an annual literature update cannot rely on bibliometric analysis due to time lag and poor correlation between bibliometrics and expert opinion on clinical relevance. The methodology of how top research articles of the year are selected and presented is not often reported. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review for published reports of a curated selection of recent articles critically appraised for high impact to clinical practice in general geriatrics, published from 2010 to 2022. RESULTS: Six annual literature updates were included for study. Three updates detailed their article sources, ranging from a survey of clinicians, consulting seven individual journals, searching up to four bibliographic databases, scanning social media outlets, and reviewing previous literature updates. One update reported a detailed method of article selection and consensus development. Critical appraisal of articles followed a structured reporting of clinical context, methods, results, and a statement of clinical implication or bottom line. Three of the six updates' results were disseminated in an annual conference update and did not evaluate learning outcomes of the audience. We mapped the results on a four-step framework of article search, selection, critical appraisal, and dissemination of knowledge. CONCLUSIONS: Educators in geriatrics consult numerous article sources spanning multiple journals, databases, social media, and peer suggestions to create an annual literature update. The methodology of article search and selection is inconsistently described. In this exciting area of CME, we encourage educators to develop a framework for conducting annual literature updates in geriatrics and expand its scholarship.

Retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal infections in children: A retrospective analysis.

OBJECTIVES: To describe presentations, management and outcomes of retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal infections in children presenting to a tertiary care pediatric emergency department. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of children with deep neck infections such as retropharyngeal or parapharyngeal infection from January 2008 to December 2018 was conducted at a pediatric hospital. RESULTS: There were 176 retropharyngeal, 18 parapharyngeal and 6 with both retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal infections treated during the 10-year study period. Males were 60% of the cohort and the mean age was 4.3 (SD: 3.2) years. No significant differences in age or sex ratio or presentations were seen in children with retropharyngeal infections compared with parapharyngeal infections. All received parenteral antibiotics; 42% (84/200) of children underwent surgery and four of them had more than one surgical drainage. Age <12 months and the diagnosis of parapharyngeal infections were associated with significantly higher rates of surgical treatment. Children under 12 months of age were sicker at presentation and had a high complication rate of 23% compared with 1% in the older children (p = 0.002). Seven children had co-existence of Kawasaki disease with deep neck infections. CONCLUSIONS: Early diagnosis of retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal infections especially in infants under a year of age is important as they are more likely to have complications and need surgical management. Most paediatric patients with retropharyngeal and parapharyngeal infections have a phlegmon or very small abscesses and are treated non-operatively with parenteral antibiotics.

Addressing the health human resources crisis: Strategies for retaining women health care professionals in organizations.

Globally, healthcare systems are contending with a pronounced health human resource crisis marked by elevated rates of burnout, heightened job transitions, and an escalating demand for the limited supply of the existing health workforce. This crisis detrimentally affects the quality of patient care, contributing to long wait times, decreased patient satisfaction, and a heightened frequency of patient safety incidents and medical errors. In response to the heightened demand, healthcare organizations are proactively exploring solutions to retain their workforce. With women comprising over 70% of health human resources, this study seeks to gain insight into the unique experiences of women health professionals on the frontlines of healthcare and develop a conceptual framework aimed at facilitating organizations in effectively supporting the retention and advancement of women in healthcare frontline roles. We used grounded theory in this qualitative study. From January 2023 to May 2023, we conducted individual semi-structured interviews with 27 frontline HCWs working in Canada and representing diverse backgrounds. The data underwent thematic analysis, which involved identifying and comprehending recurring patterns across the information to elucidate emerging themes. Our analysis found that organizational, professional, and personal factors shape women's intentions to leave the frontline workforce. Reevaluating organizational strategies related to workforce, fostering a positive work culture, and building the capacity of management to create supportive work environment can collectively transform the work environment. By creating conditions that enable women to perform effectively and find satisfaction in their professional roles, organizations can enhance their ability to retain valuable talent.

Burnout Interventions for Resident Physicians: A Scoping Review of Their Content, Format, and Effectiveness.

CONTEXT.­: Physicians face a high rate of burnout, especially during the residency training period when trainees often experience a rapid increase in professional responsibilities and expectations. Effective burnout prevention programs for resident physicians are needed to address this significant issue. OBJECTIVE.­: To examine the content, format, and effectiveness of resident burnout interventions published in the last 10 years. DESIGN.­: The literature search was conducted on the MEDLINE database with the following keywords: internship, residency, health promotion, wellness, occupational stress, burnout, program evaluation, and program. Only studies published in English between 2010 and 2020 were included. Exclusion criteria were studies on interventions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, studies on duty hour restrictions, and studies without assessment of resident well-being postintervention. RESULTS.­: Thirty studies were included, with 2 randomized controlled trials, 3 case-control studies, 20 pretest and posttest studies, and 5 case reports. Of the 23 studies that used a validated well-being assessment tool, 10 reported improvements postintervention. These effective burnout interventions were longitudinal and included wellness training (7 of 10), physical activities (4 of 10), healthy dietary habits (2 of 10), social activities (1 of 10), formal mentorship programs (1 of 10), and health checkups (1 of 10). Combinations of burnout interventions, low numbers of program participants with high dropout rates, lack of a control group, and lack of standardized well-being assessment are the limitations identified. CONCLUSIONS.­: Longitudinal wellness training and other interventions appear effective in reducing resident burnout. However, the validity and generalizability of the results are limited by the study designs.

Charting errors in a teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess charting errors by junior trainees in the emergency department at the beginning of the academic year and to evaluate the effect of audits and reminders in reducing charting errors in July. METHODS: Medical records from June and July 2006 were reviewed to identify incomplete documentations (charting errors) in 5 areas. The audit was repeated in July 2007 after sample charts were displayed, and reminders were sent. RESULTS: There were 129 patient records completed by 12 trainees in June 2006 and 122 by 11 trainees in July 2006. The mean charting error rate for July (24%) was significantly higher than that in June (17%) (P = 0.0041). The mean charting error rate reduced to 14% after the intervention in July 2007. CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant increase in charting errors by new trainees in July compared with June. A simple intervention of reminders and alerts significantly reduced charting errors in July.