Charting Pediatrics

Children spend the majority of their time either at home or at school. In the state of Colorado, most children spend over 180 days, or 1,080 hours, a year at school. With so much time spent in the school environment, pediatric healthcare workers can collaborate with school health professionals by sharing a child's medical history, allergies, and medications to ensure children are receiving the best care possible. In this episode, we discuss the care children can receive while at school and how pediatricians can communicate effectively with their patient's school health professionals.

Guest: Sara Kihn is a pediatric nurse who has been in the profession for over 30 years. She is the associate clinical manager for the school health program at Children's Hospital Colorado.

Resources:

Children's Hospital Colorado School Health Website (coming soon!)

Colorado Department of Education, School Nursing and Health: www.cde.state.co.us/healthandwellness/snh_home

National Association of School Nurses: www.nasn.org/home

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

The transition from adolescent to adult care can often be a series of challenging obstacles for patients, families, and providers. This time of adjustment can be both overwhelming and difficult, especially for patients with congenital health conditions. Moving from a parent supervised visit to an independent patient model takes time and often takes a lot of discussion. In this episode, we are going unpack and inform primary care providers on how they can play a pivotal role in the transition of care.

Dr. Daniel Wood is the newest addition to our Urology department here at Children's Hospital Colorado.

Resources: Twitter for pediatric healthcare professionals.

Learning how to read is a pivotal point in childhood development. Incorporating reading into a family's daily routine not only helps with brain development, but it also fosters an emotional relationship between children and their caregivers. Pediatric healthcare workers can help promote healthy reading habits by educating and assisting their patients and families at their pediatric well visits. Michelle Shiffman, MD, joins us on this episode to discuss approaches that help families integrate reading into their home lives. Dr. Shiffman is the Medical Director of Reach Out and Read, a nonprofit organization that helps equip families and pediatric practices with the tools and information they need to make reading aloud a daily routine.

Guest: Michelle Shiffman, MD, is a pediatrician at Denver Health and the Medical Director for Reach Out and Read.

Resources:

Reach Out and Read Colorado: https://reachoutandreadco.org

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

There has been an overwhelming amount of change and disruption in the lives of kids over the last few years. Without the foundation of stability and predictability, many children are struggling with an array of anxiety disorders. As part of our ongoing Mental Health Series, Drs. Cassidy McNitt and Benjamin Mullins discuss how to support these kids and make sure they have access to the resources and help they need.

Guests: Cassidy McNitt, MD, is an assistant professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry for the Children's Hospital Colorado Consultation and Liaison Service and the Colorado Pediatric Psychiatry Consultation and Access Program.

Benjamin Mullin, PhD, is an associate professor of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and a clinical psychologist. Dr. Mullin is the director of the Colorado OCD and Anxiety Program at Children's Colorado.

Today's episode is underwritten by Ent Credit Union, proud supporter of Charting Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Colorado. Ent, Colorado's largest credit union, has a passion for people, not for profit. Ent has more than 45 service centers located up and down the Front Range, including the Denver Metro area and Northern Colorado. Insured by NCUA.

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

Conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, is a common eye infection that presents at pediatrician offices and often keeps kids out of school or daycare. Although conjunctivitis is commonly caused by viral infections, there are other reasons why a patient might get pink eye. As a pediatric provider, it is essential to understand the signs and symptoms of pink eye and to weigh the risks and benefits of prescribing antibiotics. This episode discusses the treatment of conjunctivitis and the role pediatricians play in antibiotic stewardship.

Guest: Nicole Poole, MD, is an assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado and the Associate Medical Director of the Antibiotic Stewardship Program at Children's Hospital Colorado.

Episode resources:

• Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) website: https://cdphe.colorado.gov/child-care-health-regulations
• How Sick is Too Sick? (CDPHE): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RcdCmU4SYXwmVhJrA3Pyk0gP0MTDClkF/view
• AAP Managing Infectious Diseases in Child Care and Schools: https://shop.aap.org/managing-infectious-diseases-in-child-care-and-schools-6th-edition-paperback/
• Ophthalmic antibiotic use for acute infectious conjunctivitis in children: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34737083/
• Uncomplicated Acute Respiratory Tract Infections (ARTI) Clinical Pathways: https://www.childrenscolorado.org/health-professionals/clinical-resources/clinical-pathways/uncomplicated-acute-respiratory-tract-infections/

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

We're exploring something different in this episode and intentionally not discussing pediatric care. In this episode we share the incredible story of an enduring friendship between two pediatricians — a friendship that's been both generous and life-changing.

Guests: Dr. Jennifer England, a pediatrician with Pediatrics at Cherry Creek, and Dr. Sunit Gill, a pediatrician at Greenwood Pediatrics, both located in Colorado.

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

As the pandemic continues to shine a light on the mental health crisis in America, the devasting effects of substance abuse and addiction are increasing. Teens across the country continue to use and abuse alcohol, marijuana and nicotine-based vaping, and the rate of deaths linked to fentanyl has hit an all-time high.

In the latest episode of our Mental Health series, we are joined by Christian Thurstone, MD, who discusses what's new in adolescent substance use, how it's affecting kids and what providers can do about it.

Guest: Christian Thurstone, MD, the Director of Behavioral Health Services at Denver Health and a professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Today's episode is underwritten by Businessolver, who is partnering with Children's Hospital Colorado to create a better mental health future for children. Businessolver is creating a mentally healthy, well-educated workplace where diversity, equity and inclusion matter. Together, we can change the state of pediatric mental health.

How do you know if a sacral dimple needs a closer look? Sacral dimples can be nothing at all, or they may be an indication of something more serious, such as tethered cord syndrome, dermal sinus tract or spina bifida oculate. In this episode, learn how sacral dimples should be evaluated and when providers should run more tests or refer to a specialist.

Guest: Dr. Mark Erickson is the Medical Director of the Spine Center and the Pediatric Orthopedics Fellowship Director at Children's Hospital Colorado, and a professor in the Department of Orthopedics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

Implicit bias and systemic racism contribute to health disparities, and they cannot be accounted for only by the social determinants of health (income, education, marital status, employment, etc.). Everyone brings their own biases and lived experiences to the table, and as physicians, it is our responsibility to recognize the role bias plays in our interactions with patients and team members, as well as within our healthcare system.

In the latest episode in our Resident Files series, we talk with Kathryn Kalata, MD, about Health Equity Rounds, an initiative to address bias in the care we provide our patients.

Guest: Dr. Kathryn Kalata, a current resident at the University of Colorado.

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org

Effective communication is needed to ensure the public is getting accurate information when it comes to vaccinations. Over the past few years of the COVID-19 pandemic, we've seen an increase of anti-vaccination sentiment and misinformation. In this episode, we discuss the importance of vaccines, the science behind vaccine development, and the impact of effective communication.

This episode was recorded live from the 2022 AAP NCE Conference in Anaheim California.

Guest: Dr. Hotez is from Texas Children's Hospital where he is the Endowed Chair of Tropical Pediatrics. Dr. Hotez is a professor at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M University. As both a pediatrician and vaccine scientist, he is a passionate advocate for vaccines in the face of the growing anti-vaccine movement and is certainly a hero for all pediatricians.

For more information on Children's Hospital Colorado, visit: childrenscolorado.org