Background: In 2023, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) proposed changes to Pediatric Residency programs allowing for greater individualization of resident experiences and increased ambulatory care time. The ACGME changes may lead some institutions to expand pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) services to provide coverage of hospitalized children previously cared for by residents. We [...]

Background: Suicide attempt and self-injury (SA/SI) are frequent reasons for medical hospitalizations, yet little is known about length of stay (LOS) among youth hospitalized for SA/SI. LOS is commonly used to measure quality of patient care and resource use within hospitals, and a comprehensive understanding of factors associated with LOS among youth admitted for SA/SI [...]

Background: Mounting evidence supports the use of point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) in medicine and pediatrics to improve outcomes, maximize patient safety, and increase patient satisfaction and success of procedures.The literature describes the utility of POCUS in several areas of pediatric care (the emergency department, pediatric and neonatal intensive care unit, and post-acute care setting), however, we [...]

Background: Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) is one of the newest subspecialties and was recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties in 2016, with its first fellowship programs accredited in 2020. While research barriers in academic medical practice have been identified in prior studies, the facilitators and barriers to research productivity for PHM faculty in [...]

Background: Caregivers of Children with Medical Complexity (CCMC) are essential to their child’s care during hospital admissions. Prior research suggests that prolonged hospitalization of their child negatively impacts the emotional, physical and psychosocial well-being of CCMC. However, there is a paucity of data regarding caregivers’ perspectives on potential effective solutions to improve their own wellness [...]

Background: Growth faltering (or failure to thrive) is a common paediatric problem, found in approximately 3-5% of hospitalized children1,2. Inpatient evaluation of growth faltering generally focuses on identifying the underlying etiology of poor weight gain, but complex genetic conditions can be difficult to identify during a short hospital admission. In a recent study that followed [...]

Background: Information about how genetic testing is used in the NICU and how it changes clinical management is limited. In addition, genetic testing strategies are rapidly evolving, and having a baseline understanding of our current testing strategies and their clinical utility is important. Among infants admitted to children’s hospitals NICU, about 10-30% have a congenital [...]

Background: Overdose-related deaths in adolescents have increased, making recognition and treatment of substance use (SU) an issue of critical importance. However, pediatricians are failing to screen and manage SU withdrawal among hospitalized adolescents. Driving factors include no standard process, addiction specialists’ discomfort in treating pediatrics, and discomfort in inpatient providers in managing addiction. Through this [...]

Background: Prior studies of routine blood culture (BC) testing in uncomplicated community acquired pneumonia (CAP), skin and soft tissue infections (SSTI), and urinary tract infections (UTI) have demonstrated low utility given similar rates of pathogen versus contaminant detection and little effect on clinical management. Understanding patterns and outcomes of BC testing can identify opportunities to [...]

Background: Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) is a growing interest in pediatric hospital medicine, however few Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) fellowships incorporate POCUS training formally into their curriculum. POCUS can expedite treatment and improve care for patients in resource-limited settings or when specialists are not immediately available. POCUS can also help PHM fellows bring residents back to [...]