Pediatric Hospitalization Trends at Children's and General Hospitals, 2000-2019.

This study examines whether pediatric inpatient care has been redistributed from general hospitals into children's hospitals.

Developing Content for Pediatric Hospital Medicine Certification Examination Using Practice Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: The American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) and the Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) subboard developed a content outline to serve as a blueprint for the inaugural certification examination through practice analysis. The systematic approach of practice analyses process is described in the study. METHODS: A diverse, representative panel of 12 pediatric hospitalists developed the draft content outline using multiple resources (publications, textbooks, PHM Core Competencies, PHM fellow's curriculum, etc). The panel categorized practice knowledge into 13 domains and 202 subdomains. By using the ABP database self-defined practicing pediatric hospitalists were identified. Participants rated the frequency and criticality of content domains and subdomains along with providing open-ended comments. RESULTS: In total, 1449 (12.1%) generalists in the ABP database self-identified as pediatric hospitalists, and 800 full-time pediatric hospitalists responded. The content domains that were rated as highly critical and frequently required in practice were weighted more heavily (ie, the percentage of examination questions associated with a domain) than the less critical and less frequently rated. Both community and noncommunity pediatric hospitalists rated domains similarly (P = .943). Subdomain and preliminary weights were rated with similar means and SDs in the majority of topics. CONCLUSIONS: There was concordance in the rating of domain and universal tasks among both community and noncommunity hospitalists. The areas of significant differences, although minor, could be explained by difference in practice settings. The practice analysis approach was structured, engaged the PHM community, reflected the breadth and depth of knowledge required for PHM practice, and used an iterative process to refine the final product.

Interfacility Transfers Among Patients With Complex Chronic Conditions.

OBJECTIVES: To describe interfacility transfers among children with complex chronic conditions (CCCs) and determine if interfacility transfer was associated with health outcomes. We hypothesized that interfacility transfer would be associated with length of stay (LOS), receipt of critical care services, and in-hospital mortality. METHODS: In this retrospective cohort study, we used data from the 2012 Kids' Inpatient Database. CCC hospitalizations were identified by International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision codes. Receipt of critical care services was inferred by using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis and procedure codes. We performed a descriptive analysis of CCC hospitalizations then determined if transfer was associated with LOS, mortality, or receipt of critical care services using survey-adapted quasi-Poisson or logistic regression models, controlling for hospital and patient demographics. RESULTS: There were 551 974 non-birth hospitalizations with at least 1 CCC diagnosis code. Of these, 13% involved an interfacility transfer. Compared with patients with CCCs who were not transferred, patients with CCCs who were transferred in and ultimately discharged from the receiving hospital had an adjusted LOS rate ratio of 1.6 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.5-1.7; P < .001), were more likely to have received critical care services (adjusted odds ratio 3.0; 95% CI: 2.7-3.2; P < .001), and had higher in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio 3.6; 95% CI: 3.2-3.9; P < .001) (controlling for patient and hospital characteristics). CONCLUSIONS: Many hospitalizations for children with CCCs involve interfacility transfer. Compared with in-house admissions, hospitalizations of patients who are transferred in and ultimately discharged from the receiving hospital involve longer LOS, greater odds of receipt of critical care services, and in-hospital mortality. Further evaluation of the role of clinical and transfer logistic factors is needed to improve outcomes.

Development of a Curricular Framework for Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowships.

Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) is an emerging field in pediatrics and one that has experienced immense growth and maturation in a short period of time. Evolution and rapid expansion of the field invigorated the goal of standardizing PHM fellowship curricula, which naturally aligned with the field's evolving pursuit of a defined identity and consideration of certification options. The national group of PHM fellowship program directors sought to establish curricular standards that would more accurately reflect the competencies needed to practice pediatric hospital medicine and meet future board certification needs. In this manuscript, we describe the method by which we reached consensus on a 2-year curricular framework for PHM fellowship programs, detail the current model for this framework, and provide examples of how this curricular framework may be applied to meet the needs of a variety of fellows and fellowship programs. The 2-year PHM fellowship curricular framework was developed over a number of years through an iterative process and with the input of PHM fellowship program directors (PDs), PHM fellowship graduates, PHM leaders, pediatric hospitalists practicing in a variety of clinical settings, and other educators outside the field. We have developed a curricular framework for PHM Fellowships that consists of 8 education units (defined as 4 weeks each) in 3 areas: clinical care, systems and scholarship, and individualized curriculum.

A Quality Improvement Initiative: Improving the Frequency of Inpatient Electronic Prescribing.

OBJECTIVE: To improve the frequency of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) of discharge prescriptions at a children's hospital via a bundle of quality improvement interventions. METHODS: Surveys and focus groups were conducted with patient families and pediatric residents to identify barriers and propose solutions to e-prescribing. These data were used to generate a series of interventions, including the following: (1) provider education; (2) changes in patient registration workflow; and (3) electronic health record changes to improve the frequency of e-prescribing on the pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) service. The primary outcome measure was the e-prescribing frequency, with a balance measure of e-prescribing errors. RESULTS: From July 2014 through June 2015, e-prescribing frequency on the PHM service improved from a median of 7.4% to 48.9% (P < .001) and was sustained for an additional 6 months (July 2015-December 2015), surpassing meaningful use targets with associated US News and World Report hospital ranking points. The frequency of PHM prescription errors remained unchanged, and in comparison, the resident outpatient clinic revealed no statistically significant change in e-prescribing frequency during this time period. CONCLUSIONS: Engaging front-line providers in hospital-wide initiatives and quality improvement interventions can directly affect hospital metrics in programs such as meaningful use and US News and World Report, as shown through successful improvement in PHM e-prescribing frequency. Future studies are necessary to determine whether increased e-prescribing frequency affects patient outcomes and compliance.

A 2-year-old with 4 weeks of daily fever.

A 2-year-old female presents for evaluation of 4 weeks of daily fevers. When the fevers began, she had mild upper respiratory tract symptoms, which quickly resolved. The fevers persisted, however, with a maximum of 40°C. The child's review of symptoms was significant for a 1-kg weight loss over the past month. Ten months before presentation, she had moved from Saudi Arabia with her family. One week before the onset of symptoms, she had visited a petting zoo. During episodes of fever, the patient was ill-appearing and had an elevated heart rate and respiratory rate. On examination, she was found to be thin, febrile, tachycardic, and with scattered lymphadenopathy. Results of laboratory tests were remarkable for an elevated white blood cell count of 16,100 cells per uL with a neutrophilic predominance. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) were elevated at 99 mm/h and 27 mg/dL, respectively. A chest radiograph indicated a small amount of fluid in the interlobar fissures. Our expert panel examines her case, offers a definition of fever of unknown origin, and makes diagnostic considerations.

Postoperative atrial fibrillation is not pulmonary vein dependent: results from a randomized trial.

BACKGROUND: Although often short-lived and self-limiting, postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) is a well-recognized postoperative complication of cardiac surgery and is associated with a 2-fold increase in cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to determine whether intraoperative bilateral pulmonary vein radiofrequency ablation decreases the incidence of POAF in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG). METHODS: A total of 175 patients undergoing CABG was prospectively randomized to undergo adjuvant bilateral radiofrequency pulmonary vein ablation in addition to CABG (group A; n = 89) or CABG alone (group B; n = 86). Intraoperative pulmonary vein isolation was confirmed by the inability to pace the heart via the pulmonary veins after ablation. All patients received postoperative ß-blocker. RESULTS: There was no difference in the incidence of POAF in the treatment group who underwent adjuvant pulmonary vein ablation (group A; 37.1%) compared with the control group who did not (group B; 36.1%) (P = .887). There were no differences in postoperative inotropic support, antiarrhythmic drug use, need for oral anticoagulation, and complication rates. The mean length of postoperative hospital stay was 8.2 ± 6.5 days in the ablation group and 6.7 ± 4.6 days in the control group (P < .001). CONCLUSION: Adjuvant pulmonary vein isolation does not decrease the incidence of POAF or its clinical impact but increases the mean length of stay in the hospital. The mechanism of POAF does not appear to depend on the pulmonary veins.

A prospective observational study of seizures after cardiac surgery using continuous EEG monitoring.

INTRODUCTION: Recently, there have been several retrospective reports suggesting an increased frequency in seizures after cardiopulmonary bypass, associated with increased patient morbidity. We sought to prospectively investigate the incidence of electrographic seizures without clear convulsive clinical correlates and subsequent neurologic injury following cardiac surgery. METHODS: This single-center, prospective, observational study used continuous subhairline electroencephalographic (cEEG) monitoring in the intensive care unit following routine cardiac surgery, ranging from coronary bypass surgery to complex aortic arch reconstruction. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients developing postoperative seizures, as confirmed on cEEG monitoring. Secondary outcomes included neurologic injury, post-operative complications, mortality, and ICU and hospital lengths of stay. RESULTS: 101 consenting patients were included and 3 patients had seizures (2 focal and convulsive, 1 generalized and electrographic). All three patients with seizures were ≥65 years old, had "open-chamber" procedures, and had cardiopulmonary bypass times >120 min. One of the 3 patients with seizures was exposed to higher doses of tranexamic acid. None of the patients with seizures had permanent neurologic sequelae and all were doing well at 1-year follow-up. There was no increased morbidity or mortality in patients with seizures. CONCLUSIONS: Electrographic seizures occur infrequently after cardiac surgery and are generally associated with a good prognosis. Prophylactic cEEG monitoring is unlikely to be cost-effective in this population. (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01291992).

Residency factors that influence pediatric in-training examination score improvement.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to determine which measurable factors of resident training experience contribute to improvement of in-training examination (ITE) and certifying examination (CE) scores. METHODS: This is a descriptive retrospective study analyzing data from July 2003 through June 2006 at a large academic pediatric training program. Pediatric categorical residents beginning residency in July 2003 were included. Regression analyses were used to determine if the number of admissions performed, core lectures attended, acute care topics heard, grand rounds attended, continuity clinic patients encountered, or procedures performed correlated with improvement of ITE scores. These factors were then analyzed in relation to CE scores. RESULTS: Seventeen residents were included in this study. The number of general pediatric admissions was the only factor found to correlate with an increase in ITE score (P = .04). Scores for the ITE at pediatric levels 1 and 3 were predictive of CE scores. No other factors measured were found to influence CE scores. CONCLUSIONS: Although all experiences of pediatric residents likely contribute to professional competence, some experiences may have more effect on ITE and CE scores. In this study, only general pediatric admissions correlated significantly with an improvement in ITE scores from year 1 to year 3. Further study is needed to identify which elements of the residency experience contribute most to CE success. This would be helpful in optimizing residency program structure and curriculum within the limitations of duty hour regulations.