News

Congress ponders Medicare and Medicaid cuts, the push to ban "partial birth abortion" is back in the news, and the FDA offers warnings on two drugs taken by children.

We're learning that the possibilities for prevention of disease through vaccines are farther-reaching than we imagined during the last century.

To make the Biggest difference Table 2 Cont.

To make the Biggest difference Table 2 Cont.

To make the Biggest difference Table 2

Eileen Ouellette, MD, JD, of Newton Center, Mass., today began her role as the 2005-2006 President of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), based in Elk Grove Village, Ill. Dr. Ouellette is the AAP's fourth woman president since it was founded in 1930.

Allergic diseases are the sixth leading cause of chronic disease in the United States and cost the health-care system more than $18 billion a year. But despite the seriousness suggested by these numbers, many people don't understand how deflating allergies can be to quality of life for patients and families, according to Mark Boguniewicz, MD, professor at Denver's National Jewish Medical and Research Center.

As many as 160,000 students stay home from school on any given day because they're afraid of being bullied.

There will be many new vaccines and new vaccine recommendations over the next three years or so, two of the top experts in the vaccine arena reported today at the AAP National Conference.

Despite the best efforts of clinicians, accidents still occur in pediatric care settings. Speaking from the American Academy of Pediatrics' Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., this week, Marlene Miller, MD, MSc, and Uma Kotagal, MD, MBBS, MSc, presented an audience of pediatricians with 10 strategies for improving the safety of that care in inpatient and outpatient settings, based on their experiences and studies.

It isn't exactly news: For the past few years, a commercially available device has helped physicians, nurse practitioners, medical students, residents, and pharmacists, quickly obtain the medical information in the palm of their hand. That handheld device is the personal digital assistant known as Epocrates Essentials, delivering information to clinicians on drugs, diseases, and diagnostics.

The longest and most complex study of methylphenidate (Ritalin) in preschool children shows that it can be safe and effective for some children in that age group who have attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD), according to the study's lead author.

There will be many new vaccines and new vaccine recommendations over the next three years or so, two of the top experts in the vaccine arena reported today at the AAP National Conference.

In new recommendations released at its Annual Conference, the AAP made substantial changes to its recommendations on how parents should put their baby to bed.

Do children who have been raised in a gay or lesbian household have problems with school or their personal and social relationships? What are the implications of marriage for these children? Those questions were discussed today during a special scientific forum at the AAP's National Conference.

Six years in the making, a program that gives pediatricians tools to help families protect their children from violence has been launched by the AAP. The Academy's program, "Connected Kids: Safe, Strong, Secure," made its debut Monday at the AAP's National Conference and Exhibition.

For patients with a bleeding disorder, including frequent nosebleeds or a low platelet count, or who are on a blood-thinning medication, a new product can stop bleeding almost instantly, according to the claim of its manufacturer, Biolife, made at AAP 2005 National Conference and Exhibition. Quick Relief Powder (QR) works as a powder bandage, creating a scab around the wound to stop bleeding quickly and protects the wound from infection, irritation, and contamination.

During a presentation today at the American Academy of Pediatrics' (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition, a pediatric infectious disease expert and pediatric neurologist addressed the latest findings on a possible link between strep throat and Tourette syndrome (TS). In short: The hypothesis is intriguing but more study is needed.

Charging parents for telephone calls is a policy that is already working for a number of pediatric practices around the country, Andrew Hertz, MD, told an audience of pediatricians at the AAP National Conference here today.

With the high injury rate and high mortality associated with substance abuse in teenagers, John R. Knight, MD, of Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass., told an audience of pediatricians attending the AAP's Annual Conference that screening for substance abuse should be a part of every practice. He recommended a screening tool he has been working on at Harvard's Center for Substance Abuse Research.