Pediatrics
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Medical and mental health of children entering the utah foster care system.
Investigators from several states have reported that children entering foster care are at risk for medical and mental health conditions. Additional information based on data from a larger statewide population of children in foster care would assist in the development of appropriate strategies of care for these children. ⋯ This study of a statewide cohort of children entering foster care supports and strengthens previous evidence that children in foster care are more likely to have more health care needs compared with the general pediatric population. Focused strategies are needed that address prevalent conditions, the need for continuity of care, ongoing mental health services, and medication management.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Safety and tolerability of North American ginseng extract in the treatment of pediatric upper respiratory tract infection: a phase II randomized, controlled trial of 2 dosing schedules.
Upper respiratory tract infections are the most common childhood illness. Panax quinquefolius (American ginseng root extract) standardized to contain 80% poly-furanosyl-pyranosyl-saccharides is purported to be effective in adult upper respiratory tract infection but has not been evaluated yet in a pediatric population. ⋯ Standard doses of ginseng were well tolerated and merit additional evaluation with regard to treatment of pediatric upper respiratory tract infection.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
A video game improves behavioral outcomes in adolescents and young adults with cancer: a randomized trial.
Suboptimal adherence to self-administered medications is a common problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of a video-game intervention for improving adherence and other behavioral outcomes for adolescents and young adults with malignancies including acute leukemia, lymphoma, and soft-tissue sarcoma. ⋯ The video-game intervention significantly improved treatment adherence and indicators of cancer-related self-efficacy and knowledge in adolescents and young adults who were undergoing cancer therapy. The findings support current efforts to develop effective video-game interventions for education and training in health care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Newborn vitamin A supplementation reduced infant mortality in rural Bangladesh.
We assessed the effect of supplementing newborns with 50000 IU of vitamin A on all-cause infant mortality through 24 weeks of age. ⋯ Newborn vitamin A dosing improved infant survival through the first 6 months of life in Bangladesh. These results corroborate previous findings from studies in Indonesia and India and provide additional evidence that vitamin A supplementation shortly after birth can reduce infant mortality in South Asia.
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Multicenter Study
Pediatric traumatic brain injury is inconsistently regionalized in the United States.
Traumatic brain injury is a leading cause of death in children. On the basis of evidence of better outcomes, the American College of Surgery Committee on Trauma recommends that children with severe traumatic brain injury receive care at high-level trauma centers. We assessed rates of adherence to these recommendations and factors associated with adherence. ⋯ Despite evidence for improved outcomes of severely injured children admitted to high-level trauma centers, we found that almost one third of the children with severe traumatic brain injury failed to receive care in such centers. Only 2 of 6 states and less than one fifth of 68 health care referral regions were well regionalized. This study highlights problems with current pediatric trauma care that can serve as a basis for additional research and health care policy.