Child Health Inequities Among State Medicaid Programs
This Viewpoint discusses differences in states’ Medicaid programs and the associated geographic and sociodemographic inequalities in children’s health and health care. More
Lead, Mistrust, and Trauma—Whistleblowing Pediatrician Discusses the Legacy of Flint’s Water Crisis
This Medical News article is an interview with Mona Hanna-Attisha, MD, MPH, the Flint, Michigan, pediatrician who discovered elevated blood lead levels among children exposed to the city’s drinking water. More
Overdiagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents
In this systematic scoping review of 334 published studies in children and adolescents, convincing evidence was found that ADHD is overdiagnosed in children and adolescents. For individuals with milder symptoms in particular, the harms associated with an ADHD diagnosis may often outweigh the benefits. More
Randomized trial supports shorter antibiotic course for kids’ pneumonia
"We should work toward improving care for our patients with right-sized antibiotic courses." More
High-Deductible Health Plans for US Children: Trends, Health Service Use, and Financial Barriers to Care
Few studies have examined children's enrollment in high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) and associations with health service use. We examine trends, health service use, and financial barriers to care for US children with high-deductible private insurance. More
Increasing Numbers of Children Prescribed Multiple Psychiatric Medications
According to researchers, children are being increasingly prescribed multiple different psychiatric medications. More
Widespread Adoption of Low-Value Therapy: The Case of Bronchiolitis and High-Flow Oxygen
Bronchiolitis is one of the most common reasons for pediatric hospitalization in the United States, incurring costs of $734 million each year. More
Evidence and Orthodontics: Does Your Child Really Need Braces?
Orthodontia is supposed to prevent a host of ills, from cavities to jaw pain. But some experts have found the evidence to be lacking. More
Antibiotic Use and Outcomes in Children in the Emergency Department With Suspected Pneumonia
Antibiotic therapy is often prescribed for suspected community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in children despite a lack of knowledge of causative pathogen. Our objective in this study was to investigate the association between antibiotic prescription and treatment failure in children with suspected CAP who are discharged from the hospital emergency department (ED). More
More on Chloroquine/Azithromycin. And On Dr. Raoult.
Dr. Didier Raoult of Marseilles and his co-workers have published another preprint on clinical results with the chloroquine/azithromycin combination that their earlier work has made famous More
Children With Pneumonia May Not Always Need Antibiotics
Doctors often prescribe an antibiotic for children with pneumonia, but a new study suggests the drugs are not always needed. More
Improper use of antibiotics in kids; Antibiotic de-escalation in pneumonia patients
A point-prevalence study of 32 US children's hospitals found that prophylactic (preventive) antibiotics were inappropriately given in 33.0% of pediatric surgical patients. More
How to help your child avoid unnecessary medical care
Many children receive "low-value services" — defined as "health-care interventions that are more expensive and equally or less effective than an alternative, including doing nothing," according to the authors of a recent study in Pediatrics. More
2019 Update on Pediatric Medical Overuse
Medical overuse is common in pediatrics and may lead to unnecessary care, resource use, and patient harm. More
The FDA must pull Makena off the market
Makena, a drug approved in 2011 to prevent premature birth, didn't work then and doesn't work now. The FDA should remove it from the market. More