Monthly Archives :

October 2018

Using Quality Improvement to Customize Opioid Reduction Strategies
Using Quality Improvement to Customize Opioid Reduction Strategies 1024 681 Abbie Miller

Different specialties across pediatrics have different uses, indications and practices when it comes to opioids. Many primary care pediatricians do not routinely prescribe them. Pediatric surgical specialties, however, may use opioid medications more frequently depending on the patient and procedure performed. While broad restrictions, such as those enacted on the federal and state levels, aimed…

The Impact of Opioids on Children
The Impact of Opioids on Children 1024 575 Abbie Miller
A black-and-white image of an adolescent White boy, a young Black girl, an adolescent White girl, a Black teen boy, and a young White mom and her infant, all in a row across the screen, all in white shirts, and all with solemn expressions.

The faces above represent the young lives affected by the opioid crisis. Children who are losing their parents to addiction and overdoses. Children who live in instability and uncertainty. Children who spend their earliest weeks in withdrawal. And children who are at risk of developing their own addictions. Here in Columbus, Ohio, we’ve had a…

Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Transforming Care for Newborns and Their Families
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: Transforming Care for Newborns and Their Families 1024 575 Abbie Miller

If there’s a success story to be told at this point in the history of the opioid crisis, it’s in the newborn intensive care unit. From changing attitudes to standardizing treatment, clinical care for infants with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) and their families is markedly different than it was 10 years ago.   CHANGING ATTITUDES…

Primary Care Provider Guide to Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Follow Up
Primary Care Provider Guide to Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Follow Up 150 150 Nationwide Children's

Pediatricians have a unique challenge when it comes to caring for the broad spectrum of needs associated with opioid-exposed infants. Some babies who were treated with pharmacological methods in a hospital will be discharged home still on neuro-active medications. Other babies did not receive a neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) diagnosis or specific treatment after birth…

What Happens When Opioid-Exposed Babies Go Home?
What Happens When Opioid-Exposed Babies Go Home? 1024 575 Abbie Miller
Black and white image of an unsmiling White woman holding a young, awake infant in the right third of the frame

Follow-up for babies with NAS or prenatal opioid exposure is essential for understanding risks and outcomes.

Moving From Child Health Care to Child Health
Moving From Child Health Care to Child Health 1024 575 Kelly Kelleher, MD, MPH

As pediatricians, we want children to be healthier, even the ones who never come through our doors. At Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the board and leadership have aimed to do just that by setting the highest bar yet for our organization – we want central Ohio children to be the healthiest in the United States. But…

QI Project Increases Value of Asthma Care in a Large Primary Care Network
QI Project Increases Value of Asthma Care in a Large Primary Care Network 1024 393 Kevin Mayhood

Multiple steps lead to better control of disease, fewer emergency department visits and $5 million in savings. A quality improvement project helped kids achieve better control of their asthma, reduced emergency room visits and cut costs in a primary care network serving 10,000 children with the disease. Through multiple steps, including standardizing assessments and documentation,…

Opening the Door to Adult Medicine
Opening the Door to Adult Medicine 1024 575 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Care transition plans aren’t just for kids with congenital conditions anymore. Could your practice benefit from a proactive transition plan for all patients? In the shift from pediatric to adult care, young patients have the responsibility to adjust to a new life of self-management. But health care providers also play an important role in this…

Managing Pain in an Era of Opioid Abuse
Managing Pain in an Era of Opioid Abuse 1024 575 Abbie Miller
A black-and-white image of an adolescent White boy, a young Black girl, an adolescent White girl, a Black teen boy, and a young White mom and her infant, all in a row across the screen, all in white shirts, and all with solemn expressions.

Managing pain is complicated. Not that long ago, perhaps 50 years or so, pain was understood to be a multidisciplinary issue requiring many different approaches. Doctors would recommend lifestyle changes, complementary therapies and medications to treat chronic pain. Then something changed. Opioids began being marketed as “nonaddictive.” Pain became the “5th vital sign,” and physicians…

What Can Bench Science Teach Us About Opioid Abuse?
What Can Bench Science Teach Us About Opioid Abuse? 150 150 Abbie Miller

In vitro models can help answer big questions about neonatal abstinence syndrome and fetal drug exposure.

Breaking the Cycle: Preventing and Treating Addiction in Youth
Breaking the Cycle: Preventing and Treating Addiction in Youth 1024 575 Abbie Miller

Virtually all addictions begin during adolescence. And nearly 4 million 12-25 year olds in the United States have a substance abuse problem, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Substance abuse in adolescents is not restricted to opioids, but in the midst of this national crisis, too many young people are finding…

Treating Pilonidal Disease with Laser Hair Depilation
Treating Pilonidal Disease with Laser Hair Depilation 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

Lymphocyte Response After a Burn Predicts Infection
Lymphocyte Response After a Burn Predicts Infection 150 150 Mary Bates, PhD

The Opioid Education Toolkit: For Providers and Parents
The Opioid Education Toolkit: For Providers and Parents 1024 575 Nationwide Children's

Do you know all the options for safe medication disposal? What are evidence-based methods for screening and assessing risk of opioid abuse? Find answers and resources in the Opioid Toolkit. Opioid Safety Protocol for the Home Four Points to Remember When Taking Opioids Monitor: Know where the medications are at all times. Keep a count of…

How to Reduce Cast Complications in Orthopedics
How to Reduce Cast Complications in Orthopedics 150 150 Jeb Phillips

Enzyme Treatment Slows Decline in Common Form of Batten Disease
Enzyme Treatment Slows Decline in Common Form of Batten Disease 150 150 Kevin Mayhood

The Changing Medical and Legal Landscape for Cannabidiol
The Changing Medical and Legal Landscape for Cannabidiol 150 150 Jeb Phillips

Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin?
Is Your Patient Really Allergic to Penicillin? 150 150 Abbie Miller

Cumulative Subconcussive Impacts in a Single Season of Youth Football Not Associated With Declines in Neurocognitive Measures
Cumulative Subconcussive Impacts in a Single Season of Youth Football Not Associated With Declines in Neurocognitive Measures 1024 575 Abbie Miller

In an investigation of head impact burden and change in neurocognitive function during a season of youth football, researchers find that sub-concussive impacts are not correlated with worsening performance in neurocognitive function. Each year, more than 3 million children in primary and high school play tackle football in the United States. Growing concern about the…

Feeding Difficulties in Opioid-Exposed Infants — Mechanics and Possible Causes
Feeding Difficulties in Opioid-Exposed Infants — Mechanics and Possible Causes 1024 575 Kevin Mayhood

A recent study suggests altered vagus nerve activity, creating resistance in the esophagus while swallowing. Infants exposed to opioids prenatally often show signs of gastroesophageal reflux disease. But a study by neonatologists at Nationwide Children’s Hospital found that feeding troubles are more likely due to excessive pressure and a lack of coordinated muscle contractions in…