Effects of a Poetry Intervention on Emotional Wellbeing in Hospitalized Pediatric Patients.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The hospital is often a challenging and unfamiliar environment for families. Hospitalization can increase stress and anxiety among children and caregivers. In this study, we are the first to explore the possible therapeutic effects of poetry on hospitalized pediatric patients' emotional wellbeing. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients aged 8 to 17 years old admitted to the inpatient pediatric ward and their parents or guardians were eligible for inclusion. With the validated Pediatric Quality of Life Present Functioning Visual Analogue Scales, 6 items were measured before and after the poetry intervention for each participant: fear, sadness, anger, worry, fatigue, and pain in the present moment. The intervention itself consisted of poetry-based reading and writing exercises. Participants and parents also completed an open-ended qualitative survey on their experience. RESULTS: Data from 44 participants were analyzed. Using the Wilcoxon signed rank test, we showed that the poetry intervention had a statistically significant reduction in 5 of the 6 Pediatric Quality of Life Present Functioning Visual Analogue Scales symptom measures: fear (P = .021), sadness (P = .004), anger (P = .039), worry (P = .041), and fatigue (P < .001). Reduction in pain was not statistically significant (P = .092). Six coded themes emerged from qualitative analysis: the poetry intervention facilitated (1) happiness and (2) family involvement, was viewed as a (3) good distraction and (4) screenless activity, and cultivated (5) creativity and (6) self-reflection. CONCLUSIONS: The poetry intervention led to statistically significant reductions in fear, sadness, anger, worry, and fatigue but not in pain. The study reveals promising results and serves as a starting point for future investigations on the therapeutic impact of poetry on hospitalized pediatric patients.

Work-Life Balance and Career Experiences of Part-Time Versus Full-Time Faculty at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.

INTRODUCTION: Part-time faculty are an important part of the academic medical workforce, comprising 11-21% of faculty in some institutions. OBJECTIVE: To describe the part-time faculty experience at a single institution across four domains: work-life balance, work environment, leadership and advancement, and mentorship. METHODS: Faculty from the Division of Biology and Medicine at Brown University were invited to participate in an electronic survey. The authors compared responses between full-time and part-time faculty across the four domains.   Results: Survey response rate was 43% (437/1025). Of the 363 who answered the question about employment status, 333 (92%) were full-time and 30 (8%) were part-time. Part-time faculty were less likely to report forgoing personal activities for professional responsibilities, that work conflicted with personal life, that their division director took interest in their careers, and having a leadership position was important to them. CONCLUSION: Part-time and full-time faculty reported significant differences in perception of work impact on personal life, division director support, and desire for leadership positions.

The Development of an Instrument for Faculty to Assess Resident-Led Large Group Teaching.

OBJECTIVE: The Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education requires residents to teach and many residency programs assess resident teaching competency. While much formal resident-led teaching is for large groups, no corresponding published assessment instrument with validity evidence exists. We developed an instrument for faculty to assess pediatric resident-led large group teaching and gathered preliminary validity evidence. METHODS: Literature review and our experience leading resident-as-teacher curricula informed initial instrument content. Resident focus groups from 3 northeastern pediatric residency programs provided stakeholder input. A modified Delphi panel of international experts provided iterative feedback. Three investigators piloted the instrument in 2018; each assessed 8 video recordings of resident-led teaching. We calculated Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency and intraclass correlation (ICC) for inter-rater reliability. RESULTS: The instrument has 6 elements: learning climate, goals/objectives, content, promotion of understanding/retention, session management, and closure. Each element contains behavioral subelements. Cronbach's alpha was .844. ICC was excellent for 6 subelements, good for 1, fair for 1, and poor for 3. CONCLUSIONS: We developed an instrument for faculty assessment of resident-led large group teaching. Pilot data showed assessed behaviors had good internal consistency, but inconsistent interrater reliability. With further development, this instrument has potential to assess resident teaching competency.

Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Toxicity in Children: A Clinical Review.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are one of the most widely used classes of medications in children. Despite a reported positive safety profile, NSAIDs have been associated with toxicities in both overdose and routine use. Most children with NSAID overdoses are asymptomatic and should be managed conservatively, whereas a small number may present with severe symptoms. We review NSAID exposures in children and strategies for their clinical evaluation and management.

Rates of medical errors and preventable adverse events among hospitalized children following implementation of a resident handoff bundle.

IMPORTANCE: Handoff miscommunications are a leading cause of medical errors. Studies comprehensively assessing handoff improvement programs are lacking. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether introduction of a multifaceted handoff program was associated with reduced rates of medical errors and preventable adverse events, fewer omissions of key data in written handoffs, improved verbal handoffs, and changes in resident-physician workflow. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective intervention study of 1255 patient admissions (642 before and 613 after the intervention) involving 84 resident physicians (42 before and 42 after the intervention) from July-September 2009 and November 2009-January 2010 on 2 inpatient units at Boston Children's Hospital. INTERVENTIONS: Resident handoff bundle, consisting of standardized communication and handoff training, a verbal mnemonic, and a new team handoff structure. On one unit, a computerized handoff tool linked to the electronic medical record was introduced. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The primary outcomes were the rates of medical errors and preventable adverse events measured by daily systematic surveillance. The secondary outcomes were omissions in the printed handoff document and resident time-motion activity. RESULTS: Medical errors decreased from 33.8 per 100 admissions (95% CI, 27.3-40.3) to 18.3 per 100 admissions (95% CI, 14.7-21.9; P < .001), and preventable adverse events decreased from 3.3 per 100 admissions (95% CI, 1.7-4.8) to 1.5 (95% CI, 0.51-2.4) per 100 admissions (P = .04) following the intervention. There were fewer omissions of key handoff elements on printed handoff documents, especially on the unit that received the computerized handoff tool (significant reductions of omissions in 11 of 14 categories with computerized tool; significant reductions in 2 of 14 categories without computerized tool). Physicians spent a greater percentage of time in a 24-hour period at the patient bedside after the intervention (8.3%; 95% CI 7.1%-9.8%) vs 10.6% (95% CI, 9.2%-12.2%; P = .03). The average duration of verbal handoffs per patient did not change. Verbal handoffs were more likely to occur in a quiet location (33.3%; 95% CI, 14.5%-52.2% vs 67.9%; 95% CI, 50.6%-85.2%; P = .03) and private location (50.0%; 95% CI, 30%-70% vs 85.7%; 95% CI, 72.8%-98.7%; P = .007) after the intervention. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Implementation of a handoff bundle was associated with a significant reduction in medical errors and preventable adverse events among hospitalized children. Improvements in verbal and written handoff processes occurred, and resident workflow did not change adversely.

Are there risks associated with empiric acid suppression treatment of infants and children suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease?

BACKGROUND: It has become common practice to empirically treat infants and children who have suspected gastroesophageal reflux disease by using acid-suppressive medications. However, evidence to support the effectiveness of these medications in the pediatric population is limited. With multiple studies in adult patients indicating increased risk of infection, we reviewed the literature to determine the association between acid-suppressive medications and serious adverse effects in infants and children. METHODS: We conducted a PubMed search on the adverse effects of H2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors in pediatric patients. The studies selected were original research and systematic reviews with control groups and study objectives evaluating the relationship between acid-suppressive medications and serious adverse effects (namely, infections). RESULTS: Fourteen studies met our inclusion criteria. The majority of studies found a significant association between acid-suppressive medications and the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis, sepsis/bacteremia, pneumonia, and gastrointestinal infections in infants and children. CONCLUSIONS: Given the questionable efficacy of H2 antagonists and proton pump inhibitors and the growing evidence of increased risk of serious infections, acid-suppressive medications should be used cautiously in infants and children suspected of having gastroesophageal reflux disease.

Influenza vaccination, diagnosis, and treatment in children.

Between 2009 and 2010, the influenza H1N1 pandemic swept across the globe, disproportionately affecting the pediatric population. This pandemic strain is expected to circulate again with other seasonal influenza strains during the 2010-2011 season. This article reviews the new 2010 to 2011 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations for vaccination against the influenza virus for pediatric patients. It reviews the various testing modalities and the benefits and disadvantage of each test and offers an approach to diagnostic testing. Lastly, it reviews the indications and recommendations for treatment of children with presumed or confirmed influenza infection.

Safety of influenza vaccine administration in egg-allergic patients.

OBJECTIVE: Current guidelines recommend that egg-allergic patients receive an influenza vaccine skin test before the influenza vaccine. This study evaluated the safety of bypassing the skin test and administering graded doses of influenza vaccine to egg-allergic children. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart-review study of egg-allergic patients aged 6 months to 18 years who received the vaccine skin test and/or a 2-dose graded influenza vaccine. Between influenza seasons 2002-2003 and 2006-2007, egg-allergic patients underwent a vaccine skin test before influenza vaccine administration. Starting in 2006-2007, the skin test was removed from our protocol and egg-allergic patients received the influenza vaccine in 2 graded doses. All vaccinated patients were observed for adverse reactions. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-one egg-allergic patients were evaluated for influenza vaccine administration, and 171 went on to receive the vaccine. Of the 56 patients who received the skin test before the influenza vaccine, 95% (exact 95% confidence interval [CI]: 85.1-98.9) tolerated the vaccine without a serious adverse reaction. This rate was unchanged after the vaccine skin test was removed from the protocol. Of the 115 patients who received the vaccine without a preceding skin test, 97% (exact 95% CI: 91.3-99.0) tolerated the vaccine without serious adverse reaction. The tolerance rate ratio was 1.01 (95% CI: 0.97-1.06). CONCLUSION: The results of our study suggest that egg-allergic patients without anaphylaxis to egg may safely receive the influenza vaccine in a 2-dose, graded fashion without a vaccine skin test.