News

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.

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.

AAP's primary effort to combat the "mega issue" of obesity among children in the United States this year will be a tool kit to help clinicians deal with the problem, Nancy Krebs, MD, co-chair of the Academy's task force on obesity, told attendees at the AAP National Conference today.

To many new mothers, breastfeeding is a difficult experience. As a result, many mothers do not breastfeed through the first year of life as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

As the American Academy of Pediatrics' 75th year comes to a close at the organization's National Conference and Exhibition in Washington, D.C., its members - now 60,000 strong - are taking time to examine some of the successes that have contributed to advancements in children's health.

Adenike Grange, MD, of Nigeria, president of the International Pediatric Association (IPA) and a professor of pediatrics at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria, addressed 2,000 attendees today at the AAP's National Conference and Exhibition (NCE) in Washington, D.C. Her focus? The challenges and opportunities of global child health, and how the IPA is working to mobilize its extensive global network of pediatricians for advocacy and programs in child health around the world. Targeted program areas include child health in Sub-Saharan Africa, childhood tuberculosis, children's environmental health, child health in a humanitarian emergency, essential medicine for children and universal immunization.

Health care for children is at a tipping point. That's the warning issued by American Academy of Pediatrics' President Carol Berkowitz, MD, who addressed an audience of almost 2,000 pediatricians today at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition today in Washington, D.C.

With obesity ranking as a major health threat for children today, pediatricians need to be involved in getting kids started in exercise and sports and keeping them involved, Jordan Metzl, MD, told a session at the American Academy of Pediatrics national conference today.

The answer? We don't really know, according to Craig Newschaffer, PhD, associate professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. But fears of an autism epidemic have been overblown by the press and advocacy groups, said Dr. Newschaffer, speaking at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition today in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Schuman will also discuss larger issues of technology in the pediatric office with conference attendees when he visits the Contemporary Pediatrics Exhibit Hall booth (#822) on Sunday, October 9, 2005, from noon until 4 p.m. He'll also bring his novel "Pretty Good Pediatrician" (PGP) program to the booth to recognize the hard work of pediatric clinicians.

More than 50% of the population of the United States suffers from an allergy, according to the findings of a study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved Adderall XR (an extended-release formulation of mixed salts of amphetamine) as a once-daily treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adolescents 13 to 17 years old. That action bridges an "indication gap" between earlier approval of the product for patients 6 to 12 years old and for older (18 years) adolescents and adults.

Community-acquired Staphylococcus aureus is deadlier and better at evading human immune defenses than strains of S aureus that originate in health-care settings, assert the authors of a recent article in the Journal of Immunology.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month approved Merck's ProQuad, the first vaccine approved in the United States that protect against measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella in children 12 months to 12 years old in a single dose. The formulation was also approved for use in children 12 months to 12 years old if a second dose is to be administered. ProQuad combines two Merck vaccines: MMR II and Varivax.

Homemade trick-or-treat treats are nice but unless you know the maker well, don't let your child eat such goodies. That's one bite-size piece of Halloween advice that parents will appreciate hearing from you-and there is more for you to pass along.

Small changes in the way physicians run their practice can have a major impact on the bottom line. Three simple steps, controlling overhead costs, increasing collections, and billing for all services, can make a difference in your patients' clinical outcomes as well as your own financial health.

There is no secret to finding, hiring, and keeping great office staff. Prepare before you need to hire, hire correctly, and be the best boss in town.