Childbearing Decisions in Residency: A Multicenter Survey of Female Residents.

PURPOSE: To characterize how female residents make decisions about childbearing, factors associated with the decision to delay childbearing, and satisfaction with these decisions. METHOD: In 2017, the authors sent a voluntary, anonymous survey to 1,537 female residents enrolled across 78 graduate medical education programs, consisting of 25 unique specialties, at 6 U.S. academic medical centers. Survey items included personal, partner, and institutional characteristics, whether the respondent was delaying childbearing during residency, and the respondent's satisfaction with this decision. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 52% (n = 804). Among the 447 (56%) respondents who were married or partnered, 274 (61%) were delaying childbearing. Residents delaying childbearing were significantly more likely to be younger (P < .001), not currently a parent (P < .001), in a specialty with an uncontrollable lifestyle (P = .001), or in a large program (P = .004). Among self-reported reasons for delaying childbearing, which were not mutually exclusive, the majority cited a busy work schedule (n = 255; 93%) and desire not to extend residency training (n = 145; 53%). Many cited lack of access to childcare (n = 126; 46%), financial concerns (n = 116; 42%), fear of burdening colleagues (n = 96; 35%), and concern for pregnancy complications (n = 74; 27%). Only 38% (n = 103) of respondents delaying childbearing were satisfied with this decision, with satisfaction decreasing with increasing age. CONCLUSIONS: Decisions to delay childbearing are more common in certain specialties, and many residents who delay childbearing are not satisfied with that decision. These findings suggest that greater attention is needed overall, and particularly in certain specialties, to promote policies and cultures that both anticipate and normalize parenthood in residency, thus minimizing the conflict between biological and professional choices for female residents.

Maternity Leave in Residency: A Multicenter Study of Determinants and Wellness Outcomes.

PURPOSE: To characterize determinants of resident maternity leave and the effect of length of leave on maternal well-being. METHOD: In 2017, the authors sent a voluntary, anonymous survey to female residents at 78 programs, in 25 unique specialties, at 6 institutions. Survey items included personal, partner, and child demographics, and logistics of leave, including whether leave was paid or vacation or sick leave was used. Outcomes were maternity leave length; duration of breastfeeding; burnout and postpartum depression screens; perceptions of support; and satisfaction with length of leave, breastfeeding, and childbearing during residency. RESULTS: Fifty-two percent (804/1,537) of residents responded. Among 16% (126) of respondents who were mothers, 50% (63) had their first child during residency. Seventy-seven maternity leaves were reported (range, 2-40 weeks), with most taking 6 weeks (32% of leaves; 25) and including vacation (81%; 62) or sick leave (64%; 49). Length of leave was associated with institution, use of sick leave or vacation, and amount of paid leave. The most frequently self-reported determinant of leave was the desire not to extend residency training (27%; 59). Training was not extended for 53% (41) of mothers; 9% (7) were unsure. Longer breastfeeding duration and perceptions of logistical support from program administration were associated with longer maternity leaves. Burnout affected approximately 50% (38) of mothers regardless of leave length. CONCLUSIONS: This study illustrates variability in administration of resident maternity leaves. Targets for intervention include policy clarification, improving program support, and consideration of parent wellness upon return to work.

Collaborative care for adolescents with depression in primary care: a randomized clinical trial.

IMPORTANCE: Up to 20% of adolescents experience an episode of major depression by age 18 years yet few receive evidence-based treatments for their depression. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a collaborative care intervention for adolescents with depression improves depressive outcomes compared with usual care. DESIGN: Randomized trial with blinded outcome assessment conducted between April 2010 and April 2013. SETTING: Nine primary care clinics in the Group Health system in Washington State. PARTICIPANTS: Adolescents (aged 13-17 years) who screened positive for depression (Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item [PHQ-9] score ≥10) on 2 occasions or who screened positive and met criteria for major depression, spoke English, and had telephone access were recruited. Exclusions included alcohol/drug misuse, suicidal plan or recent attempt, bipolar disorder, developmental delay, and seeing a psychiatrist. INTERVENTIONS: Twelve-month collaborative care intervention including an initial in-person engagement session and regular follow-up by master's-level clinicians. Usual care control youth received depression screening results and could access mental health services through Group Health. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in depressive symptoms on a modified version of the Child Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R; score range, 14-94) from baseline to 12 months. Secondary outcomes included change in Columbia Impairment Scale score (CIS), depression response (≥50% decrease on the CDRS-R), and remission (PHQ-9 score <5). RESULTS: Intervention youth (n = 50), compared with those randomized to receive usual care (n = 51), had greater decreases in CDRS-R scores such that by 12 months intervention youth had a mean score of 27.5 (95% CI, 23.8-31.1) compared with 34.6 (95% CI, 30.6-38.6) in control youth (overall intervention effect: F2,747.3 = 7.24, P < .001). Both intervention and control youth experienced improvement on the CIS with no significant differences between groups. At 12 months, intervention youth were more likely than control youth to achieve depression response (67.6% vs 38.6%, OR = 3.3, 95% CI, 1.4-8.2; P = .009) and remission (50.4% vs 20.7%, OR = 3.9, 95% CI, 1.5-10.6; P = .007). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Among adolescents with depression seen in primary care, a collaborative care intervention resulted in greater improvement in depressive symptoms at 12 months than usual care. These findings suggest that mental health services for adolescents with depression can be integrated into primary care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01140464.

Trends in the Rates of Pediatric Pyeloplasty for Ureteropelvic Junction Obstruction over 19 Years: A PHIS Database Study.

Background. Over the past 20 years, the management of ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJ) has shifted. While many urologists note a decrease in the number of pyeloplasties performed over time, the nature of the change in practice has yet to be defined. In the current study, we utilize a national, multi-institutional database of children's hospitals to evaluate trends in patients undergoing pyeloplasty as well as the rate of surgical reconstruction over the past 20 years. Material/Methods. We queried the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database for all children undergoing primary pyeloplasty between 1992 and 2011. Clinical variables, including age at time of surgery, gender, length of stay (LOS), and geographic region, were determined. Age-adjusted rate of repair was also calculated per 100,000 PHIS inpatients. Results. 6,013 patients were included in the study, of which 71.6% were male and 64.2% were under the age of 24 months at time of surgery. Over the study period, the median age at time of surgery increased from 2-4 months to 12-14 months (P < 0.01). LOS decreased from a median of 5 days to 2 days (P < 0.001). The rate of surgery increased by 10.6 pyeloplasties per 100,000 PHIS inpatients from 1992 to 2011 (P < 0.01). The highest rate of pyeloplasty was in the northeast. The increase in pyeloplasties performed from 1992 to 1999 was specific to children aged greater than 24 months, while rates stayed the same in infants younger than 2 years during the same time period. In contrast, from 1999 to 2011, the rate of pyeloplasty decreased in patients less than 2 years of age, while the rate remained constant in patients over age 2. Conclusion. The rate of pyeloplasty increased in PHIS hospitals from 1992 to 2011. Trends are due to an increase in surgery in infants younger than 2 years from 1992 to 1999, followed by a progressive surgical rate decline, characterized by a shift towards patients older than 2 years of age.

Antireflux procedures for gastroesophageal reflux disease in children: influence of patient age on surgical management.

IMPORTANCE: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a common diagnosis in infants and children, but no objective criteria exist to guide the diagnosis and treatment of this disease in this population. The extent to which age influences decisions about surgical treatment in childhood GERD is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with progression to antireflux procedures (ARPs) in children hospitalized with GERD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective cohort study using inpatient data from 41 US children's hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database. We included patients younger than 18 years discharged from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2010, with primary diagnostic codes for GERD (n = 141 190). We evaluated demographics, comorbidities, and diagnostic procedures descriptively and with a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. EXPOSURE: Patient age. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Proportional hazard of progression to ARP during admission. RESULTS: Of the 141,190 patients meeting study criteria, 11,621 (8.2%) underwent ARPs during the study period. More than half of patients undergoing ARPs (52.7%) were 6 months or younger. Although most patients in the ARP group had preoperative upper gastrointestinal tract fluoroscopy (65.0%), these patients did not undergo a uniform workup. The hazard of progression to an ARP was significantly decreased in children aged 7 months to 4 years (hazard ratio, 0.63 [P < .001]) and 5 to 17 years (0.43 [P < .001]) relative to children younger than 2 months. Hazard ratios were independently increased for comorbid diagnoses of failure to thrive, neurodevelopmental delay, cardiopulmonary anomalies, cerebral palsy, and aspiration pneumonia and among patients with tracheoesophageal fistula and diaphragmatic hernia. Each additional GERD-related hospitalization was associated with a 10% increased risk of an ARP. CONCLUSIONS AND REVELANCE: Antireflux procedures are most commonly performed in children during a period of life when regurgitation is normal and physiologic and objective measures of GERD are difficult to interpret. To identify meaningful outcomes after ARP, indications must be clear and standardized. We must clarify the appropriate workup for infants and young children with GERD and better define "failure of medical management" in this population.

Partnering for success and sustainability in community-based child obesity intervention: seeking to help families ACT!

Sustaining community-based obesity interventions for families represents an ongoing challenge. Many initially grant-funded initiatives lack a sustainable model to continue. After initial grant funding ended, we continued a partnership between Seattle Children's Hospital and YMCA of Greater Seattle to enhance and expand a community-based family obesity program, "ACT! Actively Changing Together." We used principles of continuous process improvement, community-based participatory research, and the RE-AIM framework to successfully transition from a grant-funded to a community-supported program. Our pilot evaluation demonstrated promising results in parent behaviors, youth quality of life, ongoing family participation at the Y, and youth body mass index.

Total colectomy for ulcerative colitis in children: when are we operating?

PURPOSE: Ulcerative colitis (UC) in children is frequently severe and treatment-refractory. While medical therapy is well standardized, little is known regarding factors that contribute to surgical indications. Our aim was to identify factors associated with progression to colectomy in a large cohort of pediatric UC patients. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System database. We identified all patients under age 18 discharged between January 1, 2004 and September 30, 2011 with a primary diagnosis of UC. Primary outcome was odds of total colectomy. RESULTS: Of 8,688 patients, 240 (2.8 %) underwent colectomy. Compared with non-operative patients, a greater proportion of colectomy patients received advanced therapies during admission, including corticosteroids (84.2 vs. 71.3 %) and biological therapy (25.4 vs. 13.6 %). Odds of colectomy were increased with malnutrition (OR 1.86), anemia (OR 2.17), electrolyte imbalance (OR 2.31), and Clostridium difficile infection (OR 1.69). TPN requirement also independently predicted colectomy (OR 3.86). Each successive UC admission significantly increased the odds of colectomy (OR 1.08). CONCLUSION: These data identify factors associated with progression to colectomy in children hospitalized with UC. Our findings help to identify factors that should be incorporated into future studies aiming to reduce the variability in surgical treatment of childhood UC.

A multi-institutional analysis of inpatient treatment for supraventricular tachycardia in newborns and infants.

This study aimed to examine practice patterns in the inpatient medical treatment of newborns and infants with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) using the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database, a large, multi-institutional administrative database. A retrospective examination of pediatric hospital discharge data was performed during the study period from January 2003 to September 2008. Data were extracted from the index hospitalization of all individuals younger than 1 year with the principal discharge diagnosis of SVT. Those with coexisting congenital or acquired structural heart disease were excluded from the study. The analysis included 171 patients. No deaths occurred, and 95 % of the infants were discharged to home. More than half (53 %) of the patients spent a portion of their hospital stay in an intensive care unit (ICU) setting. Multidrug therapy was common, with 45 % of the patients receiving two or more antiarrhythmic agents on the day of discharge. The five most commonly used antiarrhythmic drugs, in order of decreasing frequency of use, were propranolol, digoxin, amiodarone, flecainide, and sotalol. The median hospital stay for the group was 4 days, and this value increased as a function of the number of antiarrhythmic drugs used (median, 7 days for three or more agents) and the need for intensive care (median, 6 days). The information provided in this study helps to define common practice patterns and should allow caregivers to provide meaningful expectations to families regarding their potential treatment course and to anticipate the hospital length of stay.

Obesity in pediatric specialty clinics: an underestimated comorbidity.

OBJECTIVES: (a) To examine the prevalence of obesity across 31 subspecialties in a tertiary care children's hospital and (b) to examine the percentage of obesity-specified diagnosis codes used for obese patient visits. METHODS: We analyzed 48 479 youth aged 2 to 18 years in 31 outpatient subspecialty clinics at Seattle Children's Hospital between 2005 and 2007. Body mass index (BMI) percentiles were determined by age- and gender-adjusted BMI calculated from height/weight obtained at clinic visits. For obese patients, the percentage of diagnoses coded as obesity-specific (278.11, 278.01, 272.02, 783.1) were determined by evaluation of standard diagnostic codes. RESULTS: Twenty-two of the 31 clinics had patient obesity rates greater than 15%. Analysis of International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, codes for obese patient visits as defined by BMI revealed only 2 clinics used obesity-specific codes for >5% of all diagnoses. CONCLUSIONS: Given the prevalence of obesity across all subspecialties, more recognition and resources are needed to screen, diagnosis, and provide coordinated services for healthy weight management.

Unintentional and sexual abuse-related pediatric female genital trauma: a multiinstitutional study of free-standing pediatric hospitals in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate a large national database of free-standing pediatric institutions to define the characteristics of patients who have both unintentional and sexual abuse-related pediatric female genital trauma (PFGT), to describe variation in practice across institutions and between trauma and nontrauma hospitals, and to determine factors associated with diagnostic evaluation and surgical repair of PGFT. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort using the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) discharge database with information from 41 freestanding children's hospitals. We identified inpatient and emergency department visits for female patients younger than 18 years of age with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision diagnosis codes for nonobstetric PFGT discharged in the 5-year period between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2007. RESULTS: We identified 5664 patients with PFGT, with 64% having been evaluated in state-designated trauma centers. Although overall only 4.2% (236/5664) underwent a diagnostic evaluation, independent of age, mechanism of injury, associated injuries, and insurance status, patients evaluated in a trauma center were 2.6 times more likely to have a diagnostic evaluation. Patients who underwent a diagnostic evaluation were 18 times more likely to have a surgical repair. Other factors associated with increased odds of diagnostic evaluation included age group and specific mechanisms of injury. CONCLUSION: Among institutions in PHIS, diagnostic evaluation and surgical repair is rarely performed and is defined by variability in approach between hospitals--especially between trauma vs nontrauma institutions. This study of PFGT suggests that aggressive diagnostic evaluation in the operating room may be beneficial for this population.

Outcomes associated with type of intervention and timing in complex pediatric empyema.

BACKGROUND: The presence of effusion/empyema in pediatric pneumonia can increase treatment complexity by possibly requiring pleural drainage. Currently, no data support the superiority of any drainage modalities in children. METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study using the Pediatric Health Information System database from 2003 to 2008. RESULTS: A total of 14,936 children were hospitalized with effusion/empyema. Fifty-two percent of children were treated with antibiotics alone. Compared with patients receiving a chest tube, patients receiving antibiotics alone, thoracotomy, and video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery had a shorter length of stay, lower mortality rates, and fewer re-interventions. Delaying drainage by 1 to 3 days was associated with a lower mortality rate, and a delay of more than 7 days was associated with a higher mortality rate. CONCLUSIONS: Half of all children with effusion/empyema are treated with antibiotics alone with low morbidity and mortality. Initial video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery or thoracotomy had improved outcomes compared with other interventions. Intervention should not be delayed beyond 7 days.

Case fatality in children with supraventricular tachycardia in the United States.

BACKGROUND: The prognosis for most patients with supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is thought to be excellent. However, the fatality rate in children with SVT is poorly defined and there are no large-scale, multicenter studies to support this commonly held belief. METHODS: We reviewed an administrative database containing inpatient records from 41 stand-alone children's hospitals and identified all hospitalized patients younger than 25 years with a discharge diagnosis of SVT between January 2003 and September 2008. RESULTS: We analyzed the index hospitalization of 1,755 patients with the discharge diagnosis of SVT, of whom 58% were male and 52% had comorbid structural heart disease (SHD). There were a total of 68 patient deaths (4%) with 56 of 68 (82%) of the deaths occurring in patients with SHD. In total, 6% of the patients with SHD died, whereas only 1% of the patients without SHD died. Regression analysis revealed that case fatality is increased in patients less than 1 month of age (OR 2.41, 95% CI 1.35 to 4.32), in patients with SHD (OR 2.67, 95% CI 1.22 to 5.80), and in those having cardiomyopathy with (OR 6.72, 95% CI 1.79 to 25.28) and without SHD (OR 6.74, 95% CI 1.67 to 27.26). CONCLUSIONS: The case fatality in patients who have SVT without SHD is low. It is increased in the very young and in those with comorbid cardiovascular disease. Case fatality is highest in patients with a cardiomyopathy regardless of SHD.

Steroid use after the Kasai procedure for biliary atresia.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to describe patients undergoing the Kasai procedure at children's hospitals, evaluate outcomes, and analyze the association of these outcomes with systemic steroid use. METHODS: Biliary atresia patients (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, code 751.61) who underwent Kasai procedures at freestanding children's hospitals in the Pediatric Health Information System database from 2003 to 2008 were identified. Descriptive characteristics were examined, and regression analyses were used to determine whether postoperative steroid use was associated with length of stay, mortality, or cholangitis. RESULTS: Of the 516 children identified (40% male, 50% aged < 2 months), 239 (46%) received perioperative steroids. The mean total and postoperative lengths of stay were 14.5 +/- 19.7 and 11.3 +/- 16.3 days, respectively. Postoperative steroid use was significantly associated with a 3.5-day decrease in postoperative length of stay (95% confidence interval, .03-6.97). CONCLUSIONS: Perioperative steroids after the Kasai procedure are associated with shorter postoperative length of stay. Work is needed to ascertain whether this relationship is causal.

Outcomes in neonates with gastroschisis in U.S. children's hospitals.

Our objectives are to report patient characteristics, comorbidities, and outcomes for gastroschisis patients and analyze factors associated with mortality and sepsis. Using Pediatric Health Information System data, we examined neonates with both an International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision diagnosis (756.79) and procedure (54.71) code for gastroschisis (2003 to 2008). We examined descriptive characteristics and conducted multivariate regression models examining risk factors for mortality, during the birth hospitalization, and sepsis. Analysis of 2490 neonates with gastroschisis found 90 deaths (3.6%) and sepsis in 766 (31%). Critical comorbidities and procedures are cardiovascular defects (15%), pulmonary conditions (5%), intestinal atresia (11%), intestinal resection (12.5%), and ostomy formation (8.3%). Factors associated with mortality were large bowel resection (odds ratio [OR] 8.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17 to 58.17), congenital circulatory (OR 5.62, 95% CI 2.11 to 14.91), and pulmonary (OR 8.22, 95% CI 2.75 to 24.58) disease, and sepsis (OR 3.87, 95% CI 1.51 to 9.91). Factors associated with sepsis include intestinal ostomy (OR 2.94, 95% CI 1.71 to 5.05), respiratory failure (OR 2.48, 95% CI 1.85 to 3.34), congenital circulatory anomalies (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.28), and necrotizing enterocolitis (OR 4.38, 95% CI 2.51 to 7.67). Further investigation into modifiable factors such as small bowel ostomy and prevention of sepsis and necrotizing enterocolitis is warranted to guide surgical decision making and postoperative management.