Clinical Characteristics of US Adolescents Hospitalized for Eating Disorders 2010-2022.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Eating disorders (EDs) affect a substantial number of American adolescents, with an increasing number seeking care for EDs during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We assessed the prevalence and clinical characteristics of adolescents hospitalized with EDs during 2010 to 2022. METHODS: We used data from a national database of 12 children's hospitals (PEDSnet). Adolescents aged 12 to 21 years hospitalized for ED, disordered eating, binge ED, anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, avoidant-restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), or other EDs were included. Patients with complex or chronic illness or with EDs hospitalized for another reason were excluded. We analyzed demographic data, clinical characteristics, cardiac manifestations, coexistence of psychiatric conditions, and hospital stay characteristics. RESULTS: We included 13 403 hospitalizations by 8652 patients in this study. We found a gradual increase in hospitalizations for patients with EDs before the pandemic and a large increase during the pandemic. Mean age was 15.8 years with 85.9% described as female and 71.8% as white. Anorexia nervosa was the most common ED (57.5%), though hospitalization for patients with ARFID is increasing. Patients' median BMI percentage was 90.3%. Patients' malnutrition was classified as none (50.9%), mild (25.0%), moderate (18.6%), or severe (5.4%). Significant numbers of patients had a diagnosis of depression (58.5%) or anxiety (57.0%); 21.9% had suicidal thoughts. Nearly one-quarter (23.6%) required rehospitalization for ED treatment within 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalizations for EDs among American adolescents are increasing, with a spike during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Significant numbers of patients hospitalized with EDs have suicidal thoughts. Trends in patients with ARFID require monitoring.

Comanagement of Surgical Pediatric Patients in the Acute Care Inpatient Setting.

The care of children with primary surgical diagnoses in acute care units often involves a shared surgical and medical model ("comanagement"). There are no formal guidelines for how such programs should be structured or care provided. We used a modified Delphi process, including national experts in pediatrics and pediatric medical subspecialties, pediatric surgical specialties, and pediatric anesthesiology, to develop recommendations for best practices for comanagement programs in community and tertiary care settings.

Preoperative Hospitalist Telehealth Visits for Medically Complex Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: During the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, telehealth has emerged as an alternative to in-person visits. Our children's hospital's preoperative program includes a pediatric hospitalist evaluation of medically complex patients undergoing elective orthopedic surgery. Starting in March 2020, patients were offered either in-person or telehealth preoperative visits. Few data exist regarding preoperative telehealth for medically complex children. We sought to assess this program's practicality and compare clinical characteristics, demographic data, and visit outcome data of patients seen via telehealth versus those seen in person. METHODS: We retrospectively collected demographic or clinical data, visit characteristics, and visit outcome data of medically complex children scheduled for orthopedic surgery seen April-October 2020. We reviewed the data to compare characteristics of patients seen in person to those seen via telehealth. RESULTS: We reviewed 68 visits: 34 (50%) telehealth and 34 (50%) in-person. There was no statistically significant difference in telehealth use by primary language, insurance type, underlying medical condition, gross motor function classification system score, or technology dependence. There was no significant difference between the median number of hospitalist recommendations (4 telehealth vs 3 in-person, P = .553) or progression to surgery (32 vs 32, odds ratio 1.000, confidence interval 0.133-7.540) on the basis of visit type. CONCLUSIONS: A preoperative telehealth program is practical for medically complex children. We found no significant difference in telehealth use between technology-dependent patients and those who are not. Further study of preoperative telehealth visits will hopefully be broader in scope.

A Call to Restore Your Calling: Self-Care of the Emergency Physician in the Face of Life-Changing Stress-Part 3 of 6: Physician Illness and Impairment.

Physicians suffer from most medical conditions at the same rate as their lay peers. However, physicians' self-care is often sacrificed for patient care. This third article in our series examines physician and trainee illness and impairment. Presenteeism, physician impairment, and substance use disorder (SUD) are defined. We call attention to the potential for harm of dated cultural norms, which often fuel physicians' neglect of their own health and development of ill-advised coping skills.Although any medical condition may become a functional impairment, the primary cause of physician impairment is SUD. Alcohol and prescription opioids top the list of substances used in excess by physicians. Although SUD is less prevalent in residency, we focus on the rise of marijuana and alcohol use in emergency medicine trainees. A nonpunitive model for the prevention and treatment of SUD in residency is described.Physicians are ethically and legally mandated to report any concern for impairment to either a state physician health program or a state medical board. However, recognizing physician SUD is challenging. We describe its clinical presentation, voluntary and mandated treatment tracks, provisions for protecting reporters from civil liability, prognosis for return to practice, and prevention efforts. We underscore the need to model healthy coping strategies and assist trainees in adopting them.In closing, we offer our colleagues and trainees today's to-do list for beginning the journey of reclaiming your health. We also provide resources focused on the practical support of ill and/or impaired physicians.

Medical Errors and Malpractice Lawsuits: Impact on Providers- Part 2 of 6.

Every pediatric emergency medicine provider will be involved in medical errors during their career and many will face the prospect of at least one malpractice lawsuit. These events can cause significant stress, including detrimental effects on providers' mental and physical health. This stress may also impact the provider's ability to care for future patients. In this installment of our series, "A Call to Restore Your Calling: Self-care of the Emergency Physician in the Face of Life-Changing Stress," we examine how medical errors and malpractice lawsuits may affect providers and how individuals and organizations can address these events.

Factors Associated With Pickup of Pediatric Discharge Prescriptions.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Lack of medication pickup is associated with worse clinical outcomes for select patients. Identification of risk factors for not picking up discharge medications or approaches to this problem have received little study. We sought to identify factors associated with medication pickup rates after hospitalization at a tertiary care children's hospital. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of 178 discharges from a children's hospital. We contacted pharmacies that received electronic prescriptions to ascertain whether patients and families picked up medications. The principal outcome was pickup of all medications within 48 hours of discharge. Covariates included demographic data, insurance type, discharge diagnosis, home zip code median income, medication number and/or class, and pharmacy type (on-site versus off-site). We performed a multivariable logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 142 of 178 (80%) discharges involved medication pickup. Patient age and sex, diagnosis, discharge day, primary language, and hospitalization length had no statistically significant association with medication pickup. On the multivariable analysis, a higher home zip code median income (P = .045; highest versus lowest groups) had a statistically significant association with increased medication pickup. Private insurance had a statistically significant association with higher pickup rate on the univariable analysis (P = .01) but not on the multivariable analysis, which included zip code income (P = .072). On-site pharmacy use (P = .048) and prescription of an anti-infective (P = .003) had statistically significant associations with higher medication pickup rates. CONCLUSIONS: Certain factors are associated with rates of medication pickup after discharge. Use of an on-site hospital pharmacy may represent a strategy to improve medication pickup rates in children who are hospitalized.

A Call to Restore Your Calling: Self-care of the Emergency Physician in the Face of Life-Changing Stress-Part 1 of 6.

Few practicing emergency physicians will avoid life-changing stressors such as a medical error, personal illness, malpractice litigation, or death of a patient. Many will be unprepared for the toll they will take on their lives. Some may ultimately experience burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder, and suicidal ideation. Medical education, continuing education, and maintenance of certification programs do not teach physicians to recognize helplessness, moral distress, or maladaptive coping mechanisms in themselves. Academic physicians receive little instruction on how to teach trainees and medical students the art of thriving through life-changing stressors in their career paths. Most importantly, handling a life-changing stressor is that much more overwhelming today, as physicians struggle to meet the daily challenge of providing the best patient care in a business-modeled health care environment where profit-driven performance measures (eg, productivity tracking, patient reviews) can conflict with the quality of medical care they wish to provide.Using personal vignettes and with a focus on the emergency department setting, this 6-article series examines the impact life-changing stressors have on physicians, trainees, and medical students. The authors identify internal constraints that inhibit healthy coping and tools for individuals, training programs, and health care organizations to consider adopting, as they seek to increase physician satisfaction and retention. The reader will learn to recognize physician distress and acquire strategies for self-care and peer support. The series will highlight the concept that professional fulfillment requires ongoing attention and is a work in progress.

Collaborations with Pediatric Hospitalists: National Surveys of Pediatric Surgeons and Orthopedic Surgeons.

To understand characteristics of pediatric hospitalist (PH) involvement in the care of children admitted to surgical services and explore surgeons' perspectives of PH effectiveness, we conducted a cross-sectional, web-based survey of pediatric surgical (PS) and pediatric orthopedic subspecialists (OS) from professional organizations. We used basic analyses to compare responses between the 2 surgical groups. The initial response rate was 48% (291/606) for PS and 59% (415/706) for OS. Among 185 PS and 212 OS unique programs, PH were routinely engaged (69% and 75%) in the care of surgical patients, particularly in patients with medical complexity (64% PS vs 81% OS; P = .003). PS and OS perceived positive PH impact on care coordination and comorbidity management but little on pain management or length of stay. OS were more likely than PS to view PH involvement positively (64% vs 42%; P < .001). Further research on care models, especially for children with medical complexity, is needed.

Interpretation Modalities Used on Family-Centered Rounds: Perspectives of Spanish-Speaking Families.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Limited-English-proficient (LEP) patients and families are at risk for worse hospital outcomes due to impaired communication. Family-centered rounds (FCR) have become the preferred format for information sharing among providers and families at pediatric institutions. However, there are limited data on FCR among LEP families, particularly regarding interpretation type. We sought to examine the relationships between interpretation type and FCR satisfaction and efficacy among Spanish-speaking families, the fastest growing LEP population in pediatric hospitals. METHODS: Spanish speakers admitted to general pediatrics units over a period of 16 months were identified on admission. A bilingual research assistant observed FCR and completed an observation tool, including interpreter type. After FCR, the research assistant interviewed families, collecting parent demographics, FCR experience, and interpreter satisfaction. Associations between interpretation type and satisfaction as well as interpretation type and understanding were tested by using χ2 analyses. RESULTS: We studied 124 families over 16 months. Most respondents were patients' mothers (84%), born in Mexico (76%), had grade school education (56%), and spoke limited English (96%). Overall, 83 (73%) reported the interpreter services improved their understanding of their child's medical condition. Interpreter type was significantly associated with family satisfaction with FCR; specifically, an in-person hospital interpreter or video interpreter was associated with complete caregiver satisfaction (P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: Spanish speakers report higher satisfaction with face-to-face interpreters during FCR, including in-person and video, compared with telephonic interpreters. Video interpretation via iPad during FCR may be a valuable and accessible approach to improve communication in the care of hospitalized children.

Hospitalist Co-management of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgical Patients at a Community Hospital.

PURPOSE: The benefits of hospitalist co-management of pediatric surgical patients include bettering patient safety, decreasing negative patient outcomes, providing comprehensive medical care, and establishing a dedicated resource to patients for postoperative care. The purpose of this study was to characterize the nature of patients co-managed by a pediatric hospitalist. The authors hypothesize that hospitalist co-management is safe and efficacious in pediatric orthopaedic surgical patients who are admitted to a community hospital. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of all pediatric orthopaedic surgical patients admitted to a community hospital who were co-managed by a pediatric hospitalist. Indications for hospitalization included pain control, antibiotic infusion, and need for neurovascular monitoring. Parameters of postoperative care and co-management were assessed, including presence of complications, medication introduction or adjustment by the hospitalist, follow-up adherence, and readmission/complication rates after discharge. RESULTS: Thirty-two patients were assessed with an average age of 8.8 years. Twenty-five percent of patients had an associated comorbidity, including asthma, attention deficit disorder, and/or autism. The pediatric hospitalist added pain medication to the original postoperative orders placed by the orthopaedics team in 44 percent of patients (14 of the 32) either for breakthrough pain or better long-term coverage. Additionally, 25 percent of patients had pain medication adjusted from the original dosing and schedule. The hospitalist team contacted the surgeon about the four patients (12.5 percent). In three of the cases, the surgeon was contacted to discuss pain medication, and one patient woke up agitated from anesthesia, necessitating a visit from the surgeon on the pediatrics floor. The length of stay was one day for all patients. The hospitalists rounded on and discharged patients the subsequent morning. All patients were given a follow-up appointment and schedule by the hospitalist team, and every patient followed up accordingly within ten days of discharge. No complications or hospital readmissions occurred within thirty days of discharge. CONCLUSION: Hospitalist co-management of pediatric orthopaedic surgical patients in a community hospital allows for better medical comorbidity and medication management. Hospitalists can provide closer observation during the inpatient stay and help streamline communication between providers and patients while allowing the surgeon the ability to be more mobile. Co-management is safe and efficacious in pediatric orthopaedic surgical patients who are admitted to a community hospital.

Brief Report: Healing Touch Consults at a Tertiary Care Children's Hospital.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Components of complementary and alternative medicine are increasingly being implemented at academic medical centers. These approaches include therapeutic touch or healing touch (HT), an energy-based therapy using light touch on or near the body. Limited data exist regarding complementary and alternative medicine use at children's hospitals. The aim of this study was to evaluate patterns and clinical characteristics of HT consultations among children hospitalized at Nemours/A.I. duPont Hospital for Children. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of all patients hospitalized from January 2012 through December 2013, comparing patients who received HT consultations with those who did not. RESULTS: There were 25,396 admissions during the study period; 882 (4%) of these, representing 593 individual patients, received an HT consultation. As compared with those without an HT consultation, patients receiving HT were older (median 12 years vs 5 years, P<.001), female (58% vs 46%, P<.001), and more likely to be admitted to the hematology/oncology or blood/bone marrow transplant units (P<.001). Patients with HT consultations had longer hospitalizations (median 121 hours vs 38 hours, P<.001) and more medical problems (median 12 vs 4, P<.001). Six attending physicians were responsible for placing the majority of HT consultations. Of the 593 patients receiving an HT consultation, 21% received ≥2 consultations during the study period. CONCLUSIONS: Certain patients, such as those with longer hospitalizations and more medical problems, were more likely to receive HT consultations. Many patients received multiple consultations, suggesting that HT may be an important aspect of ongoing care for hospitalized children.

Pediatric hospitalist comanagement of surgical patients: structural, quality, and financial considerations.

Comanagement of surgical patients is occurring more commonly among adult and pediatric patients. These systems of care can vary according to institution type, comanagement structure, and type of patient. Comanagement can impact quality, safety, and costs of care. We review these implications for pediatric surgical patients.

Fluid intake history and counseling in pediatric outpatients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if (a) during well visits physicians are discussing 6 common fluids and (b) if there is any association between fluid discussion and patient age, gender, or body mass index. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of 500 pediatric well visits. We analyzed the relationships between history and/or counseling on fluid intake and patient age, gender, and body mass index percentile using logistic regression and likelihood ratio chi-square testing. RESULTS: Caffeinated beverages were discussed more with overweight/obese patients compared with normal weight patients. Juice, caffeinated, and carbonated beverages were all discussed more with obese patients compared with overweight patients. Water, carbonated, and caffeinated beverages were discussed more with older patients, and milk with younger patients. Juice was discussed more with female patients. CONCLUSION: Pediatricians discuss high-calorie fluids more frequently with obese children but not more frequently with overweight children, which may be an optimal time to prevent obesity.

Outcomes and costs associated with hospitalist comanagement of medically complex children undergoing spinal fusion surgery.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess outcomes and costs associated with hospitalist comanagement of medically complex children undergoing spinal fusion surgery for neuromuscular scoliosis. METHODS: A hospitalist comanagement program was implemented at a children's hospital. We conducted a retrospective case series study of patients during 2003-2008 to compare clinical and cost outcomes for 87 preimplementation patients, 40 patients during a partially implemented program, and 80 patients during a fully implemented program. RESULTS: When compared with preimplementation patients, full implementation program patients did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference in median length of stay on the medical/surgical unit after transfer from the PICU (median: 6 vs 8 days; P = .07). Patients in the full implementation group received fewer days of parenteral nutrition (median: 0 vs 6 days; P = .0006) and had fewer planned and unplanned laboratory studies on the inpatient unit. There was no statistically significant change in returns to the operating room (P = .08 between preimplementation and full implementation), other complications, or 30-day readmissions. Median hospital costs increased from preimplementation ($59372) to partial implementation ($89302) and remained elevated during full implementation ($81 651) compared with preimplementation (P = .004). Mean physician costs followed a similar trajectory from preimplementation ($18425) to partial implementation ($24101) to full implementation ($22578; P = .0006 [versus preimplementation]). CONCLUSIONS: A hospitalist comanagement program can significantly affect the care of medically complex children undergoing spinal fusion surgery. Initial program costs may increase.

Pediatric hospitalist preoperative evaluation of children with neuromuscular scoliosis.

WHAT'S NEW: This is the first study of a pediatric hospitalist preoperative clinic. Pediatric hospitalists frequently make significant recommendations for patients with neuromuscular scoliosis prior to spinal surgery, especially those with medical complexity. Certain clinical criteria are statistically significantly associated with a hospitalist making a preoperative recommendation. OBJECTIVE: To assess (1) how frequently pediatric hospitalists make recommendations when evaluating preoperative neuromuscular scoliosis patients in anticipation of spinal fusion surgery and (2) evaluate if any clinical characteristics are associated with a higher likelihood of hospitalists doing so. METHODS: We performed a case series study using retrospective chart review of 214 patients scheduled for spinal fusion surgery for neuromuscular scoliosis from November 2009 through September 2012. RESULTS: We analyzed data for 214 patients aged 1 to 20 years (median, 13 years), of whom 155 (72%) received at least 1 specific preoperative recommendation, whereas 59 patients (28%) were cleared for surgery without specific recommendations. Underlying diagnosis (P = 0.024), nonambulatory status (odds ratio [OR]: 2.02, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-3.74), and increased number of preoperative medications (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.06-1.34) were statistically significantly associated with an increased rate of receiving preoperative recommendations from the hospitalist. Comorbidities such as seizure disorder (OR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.29-5.57) and gastrointestinal conditions (OR: 3.35, 95% CI: 1.74-6.45) were also statistically significantly associated with specific presurgical recommendations being made by the pediatric hospitalist. CONCLUSION: A pediatric hospitalist preoperative program for children with neuromuscular scoliosis in anticipation of spinal fusion surgery is associated with a high rate of recommendations being made, especially in children with certain clinical characteristics.

Pediatric head trauma: abuse or not?

Your pager sounds at 3 am. You're called to admit a 4-month-old infant who sustained a temporal skull fracture. As the overnight pediatric hospitalist at a community hospital, you're asked to admit this child to observation. The fall was unwitnessed and the floor is hardwood. He vomited twice afterward. Head computed tomography scan reveals no additional intracranial injury apart from the skull fracture. A skeletal survey reveals no additional injuries. On examination, you see bruising of the area. The child is sleepy but neurologically intact. The emergency department has called local child protective services, and you wonder what you will tell them when they ask your opinion, especially when the family has no explanation for what happened.