Tina Q Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS

Warm greetings! It is hard to believe that summer is almost upon us.

Over the last 4 months, the spreading COVID-19 pandemic has made us rethink how we practice medicine in order to continue to provide outstanding comprehensive care to all our patients. This is especially important for our patients aged younger than 2 years for whom it is critically important that they receive their recommended vaccines on time and for medically complex patients who require close follow-up for the management of their conditions.

The pandemic has challenged us to be creative in the ways we evaluate patients and provide reassurance to their parents. In this issue of 

COVID-19: A battle plan for pediatricians

—This article highlights some strategies that pediatric practitioners can incorporate into their practices to safely and effectively provide care to their patients.

CDC issues preliminary information on MIS-C

—Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19 was first described in the United Kingdom in late April 2020 and has since been reported in Spain, Italy, France, and the United States. This is a serious condition with some symptoms that overlap those seen in Kawasaki disease and/or toxic shock syndrome. Preliminary data indicate that many individuals who develop this syndrome have either COVID-19 infection or a history of exposure and that MIS-C may be a postinfectious inflammatory process. This article presents the CDC case definition of MIS-C and the need to report MIS-C to local, state, or territorial health departments.

Updated consensus guidelines issued for unexplained pediatric death

—There is limited medical awareness of SUDC, which is the sudden and unexpected death of a child aged 12 months or older that remains unexplained after a thorough investigation including autopsy. This document provides comprehensive guidance for the pediatric practitioner on the investigation of the event and the important role that they play in serving as liaisons to help families maneuver through the processes that occur after the death.

Chronic care management: Increase the value of your practice

—Fifteen to 25% of children in the United States have one or more chronic health conditions that require some level of chronic care management. This is an important Practice Improvement article that provides the information to properly code for the management of children with multiple chronic conditions and ensure proper reimbursement.

As we continue to work through the COVID-19 pandemic, remember that:

“No matter how hard things may seem, don’t get down and don’t give up. The clouds will clear and there are brighter days ahead.” —Anonymous

Please stay safe and well. I welcome your suggestions, comments, and questions.

Articles

The great unknown caused by COVID-19 has led to many questions and few answers. The one certainty is that pediatrics will have to change in order to ensure proper care.


Pediatrics’ new paradigm for practice in the era of COVID-19

Warm greetings and happy Spring! This is my first column as the new Editor-in-Chief of 

 and I want to first express my excitement at being chosen for this position-a true honor for me.

Pediatric medicine is dynamic, diverse, and intellectually challenging, and I believe that we as pediatric health care providers have the best job in the world. We are privileged to be entrusted to provide medical care and advice to generations of infants, children, teenagers, and young adults. What other specialty can say that getting an infant to smile, a child to giggle, talking to our patients and their families about “Paw Patrol,” superheroes, dragons, Legos, magic tricks, “Minecraft” and other videos games, and sports are all part of a normal workday!

 was first published in September 1984 and has been around for almost 36 years. Even though it remains a very strong and well-respected publication, like anything else it is time for a change to update and refresh the brand and make it more vibrant.

I have several short-term goals that I believe will help to improve the publication.

First and foremost, I want the information published in 

 to be timely, practical, diverse, and, above all, be a useful resource of information to all pediatric practitioners that they can use in their day-today practice. This was the major driving goal of Dr. Frank A. Oski (the founding editor of 

) when he launched the publication and one that remains critical to the mission of the journal.

Second, I would like to update the Editorial Advisory Board so that it is reflective of the diversity of today’s pediatric health care providers. This will provide a greater breadth and depth to

the information published in the journal.

And third, I plan to expand the publication’s appeal to the younger generation of pediatric health care providers and pediatric residents. This will involve exploring the different venues of providing information to this generation of pediatric practitioners and, most importantly, elicit their suggestions as to the types of information that they would find useful in their practice settings. Also, I would like to expand the circulation of this publication to pediatric residency programs and create a section of the journal that specifically addresses the issues that pediatric trainees currently face.

Author A.A. Milne said that “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” This has never been truer than now with the way that the COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed the way that pediatric medicine is being practiced. It has forced all of us to adapt to a new way of providing care to our patients.

As we navigate these challenging times, we as pediatric health care providers are a creative and hardy group, and when this difficult time passes we will emerge stronger and more resilient in our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients.

This is going to be a wonderful adventure, and I look forward to sharing this adventure with you. I invite your suggestions, comments, and questions as we continue to explore the great field of Pediatrics.

The new editor-in-chief of Contemporary Pediatrics shares her vision for the future.

Author | Tina Q Tan, MD, FAAP, FIDSA, FPIDS

Articles

Pediatrics’ new paradigm for practice in the era of COVID-19

Time to refresh, rejuvenate, restore