Risk Factors for Child Maltreatment Fatalities in a National Pediatric Inpatient Database.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Child maltreatment (CM) is recognized as a major public health concern, and an important number of children suffer injuries related to abuse and neglect that result in death. We sought to identify risk factors for CM fatalities among hospitalized children that can provide clinicians with information to recognize at-risk children and reduce further death. METHODS: In this study, we included cases from the 2012 Kids' Inpatient Database with diagnosis codes related to CM who were <5 years of age and were not transferred to another facility. Potential demographic and clinical risk factors were identified and compared to child fatality in the hospital by using bivariate and multivariate analyses. To assess how cases coded specifically for maltreatment differed from similar cases that only suggested maltreatment, a reduced-model multivariable logistic regression for fatality was created. RESULTS: We found 10 825 children <5 years who had inpatient diagnoses coded in their medical record for CM. Most demographic variables (age, race, and sex) were not significantly associated with fatality, whereas clinical variables (transferring in, drowning, ingestions, and burns) were significantly associated with fatality. There were regional differences on the basis of hospital location as well as significantly more chronic conditions, procedure charges, and longer lengths of stay among children who died. Controlling for significant risk factors, those with diagnoses specific for physical abuse had ∼3 times the odds of dying (odds ratio = 2.797; 95% confidence interval: 1.941-4.031). CONCLUSIONS: In this study, although infancy and decreased income were associated with increased risk for fatality, more important factors were the types of injuries the child endured and whether the inpatient clinician had identified specific injuries indicating physical abuse.

Community Advisory Board Members' Perspectives Regarding Opportunities and Challenges of Research Collaboration.

This case study examines the perspectives of rural community advisory board (CAB) members regarding the opportunities and challenges of partnering with academic investigators on funded research. We used a sequential exploratory design to evaluate the phenomena. Qualitative and quantitative data from CAB members were integrated to gain better understanding. Results showed that CAB members valued professional networking and gaining new evidence-based knowledge to enhance their professional practices. They identified rurality, the academic research process, and fulfilling research roles as the most significant challenges. CAB members also believed that strong community-based leaders had been essential in promoting and sustaining a shared vision for evidence-based research solutions to their community problem. Self-evaluation is essential for effective CAB research partnerships, and nurse researchers can strengthen these collaborations by (a) providing continuing education on research and evidence-based practices, (b) assuring that perceived benefits of CAB participation outweigh perceived challenges, and (c) supporting community-based leadership.

Coaching for insight. A tool for dealing with disruptive physician behavior.

Discover ways to provide disruptive physicians with a clear picture of themselves so they can better understand how their behaviors affect others.

Dealing with angry patients.

Understanding what angers patients, how to listen to their concerns and what steps to take to find a resolution sound like relatively easy tasks. But, in reality, they can be one of the toughest challenges physician executives face.

Adolescent sexuality, cultural sensitivity and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

In recent years it has been increasingly recognized that physicians must be sensitive to the cultural beliefs of their patients. This is especially important for physicians who deal with sexuality, especially when dealing with adolescents. Despite this, many mainstream text-books and journal articles ignore the teachings of the largest single religious denomination in the United States, the Roman Catholic Church. The Church has clear teachings regarding sex education, masturbation, contraception and abortion. Physicians should be aware of these teachings and be sensitive to the needs of Catholic adolescents when dealing with these issues.