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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 25 of 509 Research Studies DisplayedMichelson KA, Bachur RG, Rangel SJ
Emergency department volume and delayed diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis: a retrospective cohort study.
The objective of this study was to assess the association of emergency department (ED) volume of children and delayed appendicitis diagnoses and to compare complication rates by delayed diagnosis occurrence. HCUP data from eight states were studied on children under the age of 18 with appendicitis in all EDs. The results indicated that higher ED volumes were associated with lower risk of delayed diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis; delay was associated with complications.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Michelson KA, Bachur RG, Rangel SJ .
Emergency department volume and delayed diagnosis of pediatric appendicitis: a retrospective cohort study.
Ann Surg 2023 Dec 1; 278(6):833-38. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000005972..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Diagnostic Safety and Quality
Goyal N, Gannon M, Sood E
Group well child care for mothers with opioid use disorder: framework for implementation.
The purpose of this study was to utilize an implementation science framework to examine barriers and facilitators to group well child care (WCC) interventions for parents with opioid use disorder and their children. The researchers conducted a qualitative study using structured phone interviews as a component of the planning phase of a trial of group WCC. Eligible parents were English speaking and had a child less than two years old. Thirty-one parents and 13 pediatric clinicians participated in the interviews. 68% of parents reported that they would be likely or very likely to bring their child to the OUD treatment center for WCC. The researchers found 6 themes emerged describing perceived implementation barriers, including intervention difficulty, complexity, and potential negative outcomes including loss of privacy. Six themes emerged as implementation facilitators: 1. focus on parental OUD and recovery, 2. peer support, 3. accessibility and coordination of care, 4. clinician skill and expertise in parental OUD, 5. increased time for patient care, and 6. continuity of care.
AHRQ-funded; HS027399.
Citation: Goyal N, Gannon M, Sood E .
Group well child care for mothers with opioid use disorder: framework for implementation.
Matern Child Health J 2023 Dec; 27(suppl 1):75-86. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03762-w..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Women, Substance Abuse, Opioids, Behavioral Health
O'Halloran A, Lockwood J, Sosa T
How do we detect and respond to clinical deterioration in hospitalized children? Results of the Pediatric Care BefOre Deterioration Events (CODE) survey.
This study’s objective was to describe systems to detect/respond to deteriorating hospitalized children at Pediatric Resuscitation Quality Collaborative (pediRES-Q) institutions. The authors performed a cross-sectional survey of pediRES-Q leaders utilizing expert validation and cognitive interviews, with 30 centers (88%) responding. Most institutions (93%) used ≥1 system to detect deterioration: most commonly, early warning scores (83%), watcher lists (55%), and proactive surveillance teams (31%). Most (90%) collect relevant data, including number of rapid responses (88%), arrests outside intensive care units (100%), and serious safety events (88%).
AHRQ-funded; HS026975.
Citation: O'Halloran A, Lockwood J, Sosa T .
How do we detect and respond to clinical deterioration in hospitalized children? Results of the Pediatric Care BefOre Deterioration Events (CODE) survey.
J Hosp Med 2023 Dec; 18(12):1102-08. doi: 10.1002/jhm.13224..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Inpatient Care
Frehn JL, Li JN, Liu KR
Implementation of a universal screening and follow-up care system for pediatric developmental and behavioral health in federally qualified health center sites.
This study assessed the results of implementing an intervention to increase screening of developmental delays in children at six federally qualified health center (FQHC) sites in Northern California from April 2014 to April 2017. The goals of the intervention were to increase (a) standardized developmental screening at recommended intervals and (b) follow-up care and support for early intervention services. The aim was to optimize each site's screening processes, supported by an automated electronic tablet-based system. Social workers were hired to conduct follow-up clinical assessments, provide psychosocial education and treatment, provide referrals, provide case management support, and collaborate with service partners. During the last year of the intervention, when tablet-based screening was adopted, the sites screened an estimated 6,550 children ages 0-18 at 23 intervals in three domains (developmental, autism, and psychosocial/behavioral), compared to a baseline where they screened children ages 0-3 at four intervals in one domain. Screening rates increased from 65.3% to 75.5% after automation was extended from the first to the second site and continued its’ increase to 91.8% after automation was expanded to the remaining sites. Ranges for follow-up visits were between 74% and 88%.
AHRQ-funded; HS000046.
Citation: Frehn JL, Li JN, Liu KR .
Implementation of a universal screening and follow-up care system for pediatric developmental and behavioral health in federally qualified health center sites.
Fam Syst Health 2023 Dec; 41(4):454-66. doi: 10.1037/fsh0000803..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Disabilities, Screening, Implementation
Hoffmann JA, Carter CP, Olsen CS
Pediatric firearm injury emergency department visits from 2017 to 2022: a multicenter study.
This retrospective study aimed to assess how pediatric firearm injury emergency department (ED) visits during the pandemic differed from expected prepandemic trends. The authors looked at firearm injury ED visits by children <18 years old at 9 US hospitals participating in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network Registry before (January 2017 to February 2020) and during (March 2020 to November 2022) the pandemic. They calculated rate ratios (RRs) of observed to expected visits per 30 days, overall, and by sociodemographic characteristics. They identified 1904 firearm injury ED visits (52.3% 15-17 years old, 80.0% male, 63.5% non-Hispanic Black), with 694 prepandemic visits and 1210 visits during the pandemic. Death in the ED/hospital increased from 3.1% prepandemic to 6.1% during the pandemic. Firearm injury visits per 30 days increased from 18.0 prepandemic to 36.1 during the pandemic (RR 2.09). Increases beyond expected rates were seen for 10- to 14-year-olds (RR 2.61), females (RR 2.46), males (RR 2.00), Hispanic children (RR 2.30), and Black non-Hispanic children (RR 1.88).
AHRQ-funded; R01HS020270.
Citation: Hoffmann JA, Carter CP, Olsen CS .
Pediatric firearm injury emergency department visits from 2017 to 2022: a multicenter study.
Pediatrics 2023 Dec; 152(6). doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-063129..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Healthcare Utilization, Injuries and Wounds
Steiner MJ, Hall M, Sutton AG
Pediatric hospitalization trends at children's and general hospitals, 2000-2019.
The purpose of this study was to examine whether pediatric inpatient care has been redistributed from general hospitals into children’s hospitals (CHs). The researchers utilized the AHRQ Kids’ Inpatient Database (KID) to identify inpatient nonbirth discharges for children younger than 18 years from 2000 to 2019. The study included 14.758,391 discharges and found that annual inpatient discharges decreased by 26.5% from 2000 to 2019, while the percentage of total national discharges from CHs increased significantly, from 58.9% in 2000 to 81.8% in 2019. Discharges from freestanding CHs increased from 19.3% to 34.2%, those at non-freestanding CHs increased from 39.6% to 47.6%, and percentage of discharges from non-CHs decreased from 41.1%. An increase in inter-facility transfer (IFT) accompanied the changes in the distribution of pediatric discharges. In 2000, 6.1% of total discharges were transferred from one facility to another before discharge; in 2019, 18.8% experienced an IFT. Of children experiencing an IFT in 2019, 88.0% were transferred to a CH.
AHRQ-funded; HS028683.
Citation: Steiner MJ, Hall M, Sutton AG .
Pediatric hospitalization trends at children's and general hospitals, 2000-2019.
JAMA 2023 Nov 21; 330(19):1906-08. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.19268..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Children/Adolescents, Hospitals
Armstrong M, Groner JI, Samora J
Impact of opioid law on prescriptions and satisfaction of pediatric burn and orthopedic patients: an epidemiologic study.
This retrospective chart review study’s goal was to determine the reduction in prescribed opioid pain dosage units to pediatric patients experiencing acute pain and to assess patient satisfaction with pain control 90-day post discharge following the 2017 Ohio opioid prescribing cap law. The cohort included 960 pediatric (age 0-18 years) burn injury and knee arthroscopy patients treated between August 1, 2015-August 31, 2019. In addition, legal guardians prospectively completed a survey for a convenience sample of 50 patients. From pre-law to post-law, there was a significant decrease within the burn and knee cohorts in the median days (1.7 to 1.0 and 5.0 to 3.8, respectively) and median total morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs) prescribed (15.0 to 2.5 and 150.0 to 90.0, respectively). Results from the prospective survey showed that more than half of participants were satisfied (72% burn and 68% knee) with their pain control and felt they received the right amount of medication (84% burn and 56% knee).
AHRQ-funded; HS029183.
Citation: Armstrong M, Groner JI, Samora J .
Impact of opioid law on prescriptions and satisfaction of pediatric burn and orthopedic patients: an epidemiologic study.
PLoS One 2023 Nov 16; 18(11):e0294279. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0294279..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Opioids, Policy, Medication
Hails KA, Wellen BC, Simoni M
Parents' preferences for primary care-based behavioral services and the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed method study.
This mixed method study examined how family factors impacted parents' attitudes toward integrated behavioral health (IBH) in pediatric primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors hypothesized that COVID-19 impact would predict family functioning challenges, and that pre-existing familial contextual factors would predict parents' interest in IBH modalities. A survey was completed by parents of children ages 1.5-5 years (N = 301) from five primary care clinics with measures assessing familial contextual factors (income, race and ethnicity, and parents' childhood adversity), COVID-19 impact on family relationships and wellbeing, family functioning (child behavior, parenting self-efficacy, and parent psychological functioning), and parents' preferences for behavioral support in primary care. A subsample of 23 parents completed qualitative interviews to provide deeper insights into quantitative relationships. The higher the COVID-19 impact, the more it was significantly associated with worse parent mental health and child behavior problems, as well as lower interest in IBH virtual support options. Lower SES and racial and/or ethnic minority parents both indicated greater interest in IBH modalities compared to higher SES and White parents, respectively. Qualitative interviews conducted found that pandemic stressors led to increases in parents’ desire for behavioral support from pediatricians, with parents sharing perspectives on the nature of support they desired, including proactive communication from providers and variety and flexibility in the behavioral supports offered.
AHRQ-funded; HS022981.
Citation: Hails KA, Wellen BC, Simoni M .
Parents' preferences for primary care-based behavioral services and the COVID-19 pandemic: a mixed method study.
J Pediatr Psychol 2023 Nov 16; 48(11):879-92. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsad034..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, COVID-19, Behavioral Health, Primary Care
Chou R, Bougatsos C, Griffin J
Screening, referral, behavioral counseling, and preventive interventions for oral health in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years: a systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic evidence review on the effectiveness of primary care screening and prevention of dental caries in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years to inform the US Preventive Services Task Force. The main outcomes were dental caries, morbidity, functional status, quality of life, harms; and diagnostic test accuracy. Three systematic reviews with a total of 20,684 participants were included along with 19 randomized clinical trials, 3 nonrandomized trials, and 1 observational study with a total of 15,026 participants. When administered by dental professionals or in school settings, fluoride supplements compared with placebo or no intervention were associated with decreased change from baseline in the number of decayed, missing, or filled permanent teeth (DMFT index) or decayed or filled permanent teeth (DFT index) at 1.5 to 3 years (6 trials; n = 1395). Fluoride gels were associated with a DMFT- or DFT-prevented fraction of 0.18 at outcomes closest to 3 years (4 trials; n = 1525); fluoride varnish was associated with a DMFT- or DFT-prevented fraction of 0.44 at 1 to 4.5 years (5 trials; n = 3902); and resin-based sealants were associated with decreased risk of carious first molars at 48 to 54 months (4 trials; n = 440). There were no trials that evaluated primary care counseling or dental referral. There was very limited evidence on screening accuracy, silver diamine fluoride, xylitol; and harms were very limited, although serious harms were not reported.
AHRQ-funded; 75Q80120D00006.
Citation: Chou R, Bougatsos C, Griffin J .
Screening, referral, behavioral counseling, and preventive interventions for oral health in children and adolescents aged 5 to 17 years: a systematic review for the US Preventive Services Task Force.
JAMA 2023 Nov 7; 330(17):1674-86. doi: 10.1001/jama.2023.20435..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Dental and Oral Health, Screening, Prevention, Evidence-Based Practice, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), Guidelines
Cifra CL, Custer JW, Smith CM
Prevalence and characteristics of diagnostic error in pediatric critical care: a multicenter study.
This study’s objective was to determine the prevalence and characteristics of diagnostic errors and identify factors associated with error in patients admitted to the PICU. This multicenter cohort study used structured medical record review by trained clinicians using the Revised Safer Dx instrument to identify diagnostic error (defined as missed opportunities in diagnosis). The cohort included 882 randomly selected patients 0-18 years old who were nonelectively admitted to participating PICUs. Of these admissions, 13 (1.5%) had a diagnostic error up to 7 days after PICU admission, with infections (46%) and respiratory conditions (23%) being the most missed diagnoses. One diagnostic error caused a prolonged hospital stay. Common missed diagnostic opportunities included failure to consider the diagnosis despite a suggestive history and failure to broaden diagnostic testing, both at 69%. Unadjusted analysis identified more diagnostic errors in patients with atypical presentations (23.1% vs 3.6%), neurologic chief complaints (46.2% vs 18.8%), admitting intensivists greater than or equal to 45 years old (92.3% vs 65.1%), admitting intensivists with more service weeks/year (mean 12.8 vs 10.9 weeks), and diagnostic uncertainty on admission (77% vs 25.1%). Generalized linear mixed models determined that atypical presentation (odds ratio [OR] 4.58) and diagnostic uncertainty on admission (OR 9.67) were significantly associated with diagnostic error.
AHRQ-funded; HS026965.
Citation: Cifra CL, Custer JW, Smith CM .
Prevalence and characteristics of diagnostic error in pediatric critical care: a multicenter study.
Crit Care Med 2023 Nov; 51(11):1492-501. doi: 10.1097/ccm.0000000000005942..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Critical Care, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Medical Errors, Patient Safety
Morrone K, Andreca M, Silver EJ
Associating a standardized reporting tool for chest radiographs with clinical complications in pediatric acute chest syndrome.
The objective of this retrospective cohort study was to analyze the interobserver agreement among pediatric radiologists' interpretations for pediatric acute chest syndrome (ACS) chest radiographs. The researchers also explored the association of radiographic findings with ACS complications. Data was taken from pediatric ACS admissions from a single institution in 2019. The results showed moderate to near-perfect agreement between radiologists. Left lower opacity, and pleural effusion were associated with increased risk of ACS complications.
AHRQ-funded.
Citation: Morrone K, Andreca M, Silver EJ .
Associating a standardized reporting tool for chest radiographs with clinical complications in pediatric acute chest syndrome.
Pediatr Pulmonol 2023 Nov; 58(11):3139-46. doi: 10.1002/ppul.26634..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Imaging, Sickle Cell Disease, Respiratory Conditions
Parikh K, Lopez MA, Hall M
Child Opportunity Index and rehospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions at US children's hospitals.
Lower Child Opportunity Index (COI) has been related with increased health care use, but the relationship with rehospitalization(s) for ambulatory care sensitive conditions (ACSC) is not known. The purpose of this multicenter retrospective cohort study was to determine the relationship between COI and ACSC rehospitalizations. 184,478 children ages 0 to 17 years with a hospital admission for ambulatory care sensitive conditions in 2017 or 2018 were included. Exposure was COI, and the primary outcome was rehospitalization within 1 year of index admission for ACSC. Of hospitalizations, 28.3% were by children from very low COI and 16.5% were by children from very high COI neighborhoods. In risk-adjusted models, ACSC rehospitalization was higher for children from very low COI than very high COI neighborhoods; any rehospitalization occurred for 18.7% from very low COI and 13.5% from very high COI neighborhoods whereas 2 or more rehospitalization occurred for 4.8% from very low COI and 3.2% from very high COI neighborhoods.
AHRQ-funded; HS024554; HS028484; HS026385.
Citation: Parikh K, Lopez MA, Hall M .
Child Opportunity Index and rehospitalization for ambulatory care sensitive conditions at US children's hospitals.
Hosp Pediatr 2023 Nov; 13(11):1028-37. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007279..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospital Readmissions, Hospitals, Ambulatory Care and Surgery
Daw JR, Yekta S, Jacobson-Davies FE
Consistency and adequacy of public and commercial health insurance for US children, 2016 to 2021.
This study used the 2016 to 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health to compare overall rates, COVID-19 public health emergency-related changes, and child and family characteristics associated with inconsistent and inadequate coverage for publicly and commercially insured children. The authors were looking at inconsistent insurance, defined by failure to meet 3 criteria: (1) benefits usually/always sufficient to meet child's needs; (2) coverage usually/always allows child to access needed health care practitioners; and (3) no or usually/always reasonable annual out-of-pocket payments for child's health care. Of this nationally representative sample of 203,691 insured children, 34.5% were publicly insured (mean age 8.4 [4.1] years; 47.4% female) and 65.5% were commercially insured (mean age, 8.7 [5.6]; 49.1% female). Most publicly insured children were either non-Hispanic Black (20.9%) or Hispanic (36.4%); living with 2 married parents (38.4%) or a single parent (33.1%); and had a household income less than 200% of the federal poverty level (79%); and most commercially insured children were non-Hispanic White (62.8%), living with 2 married parents (79.0%); and had a household income of 400% of the federal poverty level or higher (49.1%). Compared with commercially insured children, publicly insured children had higher rates of inconsistent coverage (4.2% vs 1.4%; difference, 2.7 percentage points [pp]) and lower rates of inadequate coverage (12.2% vs 33.0%; difference). Compared with the period from 2016 to 2019, inconsistent insurance decreased by 42% for publicly insured children and inadequate insurance decreased by 6% for commercially insured children during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) (2020-2021).
AHRQ-funded; HS029159.
Citation: Daw JR, Yekta S, Jacobson-Davies FE .
Consistency and adequacy of public and commercial health insurance for US children, 2016 to 2021.
JAMA Health Forum 2023 Nov; 4(11):e234179. doi: 10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.4179..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Health Insurance, COVID-19
Cavallaro SC, Michelson KA, D'Ambrosi G
Critical revisits among children after emergency department discharge.
This retrospective study’s objectives were to determine the rate of critical emergency department (ED) revisits among children discharged from the ED and to identify factors associated with critical revisits. Using the HCUP State ED Databases (SEDD) and State Inpatient Databases (SID), researchers examined data from six states, including patients under 21 years old. The findings indicated that critical ED revisits after discharge were uncommon and patient death within three days of ED discharge were rare; patients with complex chronic conditions were more likely to have a critical ED revisit. The researchers concluded that future research should focus on understanding higher risk among patients with asthma or a history of complex chronic conditions.
AHRQ-funded; HS026503.
Citation: Cavallaro SC, Michelson KA, D'Ambrosi G .
Critical revisits among children after emergency department discharge.
Ann Emerg Med 2023 Nov; 82(5):575-82. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2023.06.006..
Keywords: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), Children/Adolescents, Emergency Department, Hospital Discharge
Winer JC, Richardson T, Berg KJ
Effect modifiers of the association of high-flow nasal cannula and bronchiolitis length of stay.
In hospitalized children with bronchiolitis, the use of High-flow nasal cannula (HFNC) therapy is related with a longer length of stay (LOS) when used outside of the ICU. The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between HFNC and LOS to determine if demographic and clinical factors modify the effect of HFNC usage on LOS. Of 8,060 included patients, 27.0% received HFNC during admission. The study found that age group, weight, complex chronic condition, initial tachypnea, initial desaturation, and ICU services were significantly related with LOS. The effect of HFNC on LOS varied among hospitals (P < .001), with the estimated increase in LOS ranging from 32% to 139%. 1- to 6-month-old infants, patients without initial desaturation, and patients without ICU services had the highest relationship between HFNC and LOS, respectively.
AHRQ-funded; HS026006.
Citation: Winer JC, Richardson T, Berg KJ .
Effect modifiers of the association of high-flow nasal cannula and bronchiolitis length of stay.
Hosp Pediatr 2023 Nov; 13(11):1018-27. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007295..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Respiratory Conditions, Hospitalization
Molloy MJ, Auger KA, Hall M
Epidemiology and severity of illness of MIS-C and Kawasaki Disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers sought to understand the illness severity of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) compared with Kawasaki disease (KD) and to evaluate changes in MIS-C illness severity over time during the coronavirus pandemic. Data on the hospitalization of children with MIS-C and KD were taken from the Pediatric Health Information System administrative database. The results showed a higher proportion of hospitalizations with shock for MIS-C compared with KD, but a significant decrease in the odds of shock in MIS-C patients was observed over time; MIS-C was a source of lower morbidity than KD as the pandemic progressed. The researchers concluded that their findings provide evidence that MIS-C is a distinct condition from KD.
AHRQ-funded; HS026763; HS028102.
Citation: Molloy MJ, Auger KA, Hall M .
Epidemiology and severity of illness of MIS-C and Kawasaki Disease during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pediatrics 2023 Nov 1; 152(5). doi: 10.1542/peds.2023-062101..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, COVID-19
Kang-Yi CD, Kuriyan A, Kinkler G
Generating actionable evidence for school-based mental health service delivery: public-academic partnership based evaluations.
This paper reported the key findings of evaluations of Philadelphia's school mental health programs reimbursable through Medicaid billing since 2008. The evaluations included acute mental health service use of children who received school-based care and Medicaid expenditure, children's behaviors to measure school mental health providers' performance, and effects of school mental health programs on children's behavioral health functioning, school outcomes, and other service usage. The paper discussed how programs have been refined based on evaluation results, and shared lessons learned for successful public-academic partnership-based evaluations.
AHRQ-funded; HS026862.
Citation: Kang-Yi CD, Kuriyan A, Kinkler G .
Generating actionable evidence for school-based mental health service delivery: public-academic partnership based evaluations.
Community Ment Health J 2023 Nov; 59(8):1588-600. doi: 10.1007/s10597-023-01147-5..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Behavioral Health, Healthcare Delivery, Community-Based Practice
Luo BT, Barton HJ, Wooldridge AR
Human factors engineering for the pediatric hospitalist.
The authors summarized how human factors engineering (HFE) can provide a framework and tools to help understand and improve complex care processes and resulting outcomes. They offered examples of HFE's application to pediatric hospital medicine, highlighted an HFE-based framework, provided tools for leveraging this model, and listed resources for those interested in learning more about HFE.
AHRQ-funded; HS027214.
Citation: Luo BT, Barton HJ, Wooldridge AR .
Human factors engineering for the pediatric hospitalist.
Hosp Pediatr 2023 Nov; 13(11):e365-e70. doi: 10.1542/hpeds.2023-007258..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Hospitals, Provider: Clinician
Vasan A, Kyle MA, Venkataramani AS
Inequities in time spent coordinating care for children and youth with special health care needs.
The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine sociodemographic inequities in time spent coordinating care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) and examine the relationship between time spent coordinating care and forgone medical care. The study utilized 2018-2020 data from the National Survey of Children's Health, which included 102,740 children across all 50 states. The researchers characterized the time spent coordinating care for children with less complex special health care needs (SHCN) (managed through medications) and more complex SHCN (resulting in functional limitations or requiring specialized therapies). Race-, ethnicity-, income-, and insurance-based differences in time spent coordinating care among CYSHCN were examined, and multivariable logistic regression was utilized to explore the relationship between time spent coordinating care and forgone medical care. The study found that over 40% of caregivers of children with more complex SHCN reported spending time coordinating their children's care each week. CYSHCN whose caregivers spent 5 hours per week or more on care coordination were disproportionately Hispanic, low-income, and publicly insured or uninsured. Increased time spent coordinating care was related with an increasing probability of forgone medical care.
AHRQ-funded; HS028555.
Citation: Vasan A, Kyle MA, Venkataramani AS .
Inequities in time spent coordinating care for children and youth with special health care needs.
Acad Pediatr 2023 Nov-Dec; 23(8):1526-34. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.03.002..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Care Coordination, Vulnerable Populations, Disparities
Heintzman J, Springer R, Marino M
Latino adolescent-mother language concordance, neighborhood deprivation, and vaccinations in community health centers.
Researchers examined the association between adolescent-mother language concordance and neighborhood social deprivation with adolescent vaccination completion in order to understand social/family factors related to Latino adolescent vaccination. They used a multistate, EHR-based dataset of community health center patients to compare three Latino groups; their sample included over 56,000 adolescent-mother dyads. Their findings indicated that English-preferring adolescents with Spanish-preferring mothers had the highest completion rates. The researchers concluded that future studies could attempt to understand what advantage this language dyad may have in adolescent vaccination completion.
AHRQ-funded; HS025962.
Citation: Heintzman J, Springer R, Marino M .
Latino adolescent-mother language concordance, neighborhood deprivation, and vaccinations in community health centers.
Matern Child Health J 2023 Nov; 27(11):2026-37. doi: 10.1007/s10995-023-03742-0..
Keywords: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Community-Based Practice, Vaccination, Children/Adolescents, Vulnerable Populations, Social Determinants of Health
Kieren MQ, Kelly MM, Garcia MA
Parent experiences with the process of sharing inpatient safety concerns for children with medical complexity: a qualitative analysis.
The objective of this study was to describe the process of identifying and reporting inpatient safety concerns from the perspective of parents of children with medical complexity (CMC). Researchers conducted a secondary analysis of qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with English and Spanish-speaking parents of CMC at two tertiary children's hospitals. The parents described a multi-step process of reporting their safety concerns and a spectrum of staff response and validation. The researchers concluded that their findings could inform family-centered interventions that support safety concern reporting in the inpatient setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS025781.
Citation: Kieren MQ, Kelly MM, Garcia MA .
Parent experiences with the process of sharing inpatient safety concerns for children with medical complexity: a qualitative analysis.
Acad Pediatr 2023 Nov-Dec; 23(8):1535-41. doi: 10.1016/j.acap.2023.06.008..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Patient Safety, Inpatient Care, Chronic Conditions
Beck AF, Wymer L, Pinzer E
Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an underresourced community.
This study’s goal as to determine whether housing renovations affect the prevalence of asthma in an underresourced community. Between 2010 and 2012, the Fay Apartments (~800 units) in Cincinnati, Ohio, were renovated to "green building" standards and renamed the Villages at Roll Hill. Asthma prevalence among 7-year-olds was determined by accessing Ohio Medicaid data for the years 2013 to 2021. Average prevalence of asthma among 7-year-olds averaged 12.7% in the first 6 years after the renovations (2013-2018). But in postrenovation years 7-9 (2019-221), average prevalence of asthma had dropped to 5.9%.
AHRQ-funded; HS027996.
Citation: Beck AF, Wymer L, Pinzer E .
Reduced prevalence of childhood asthma after housing renovations in an underresourced community.
J Allergy Clin Immunol Glob 2023 Nov; 2(4):1-4. doi: 10.1016/j.jacig.2023.100143..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Asthma, Respiratory Conditions, Vulnerable Populations, Social Determinants of Health
Keith A, Jenkins TC, O'Leary S
Reducing length of antibiotics for children with ear infections: protocol for a cluster-randomized trial in the USA.
The objective of the planned study described in this article will be to evaluate two low-cost interventions to increase guideline-concordant antibiotic durations in children with acute otitis media (AOM). The authors will explore differences in implementation effectiveness by patient population, clinician type, clinical setting, and organization as well as by intervention type. They will also conduct formative qualitative interviews with clinicians and administrators and focus groups with the parents of patients. The results of the study will provide a framework for healthcare systems to address the problem of excessive durations of therapy for AOM and to inform national antibiotic stewardship policy development.
AHRQ-funded; HS029153.
Citation: Keith A, Jenkins TC, O'Leary S .
Reducing length of antibiotics for children with ear infections: protocol for a cluster-randomized trial in the USA.
J Comp Eff Res 2023 Nov; 12(11):e230088. doi: 10.57264/cer-2023-0088..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Antibiotics, Medication, Ear Infections
Woods-Hill CZ, Koontz DW, Colantuoni EA
Sustainability of the Bright STAR diagnostic stewardship program to reduce blood culture rates among critically ill children.
From 2017 to2020, 14 pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) participated in the Bright STAR (Testing Stewardship for Antibiotic Reduction) QI collaborative to reduce unnecessary blood cultures for PICU patients. The collaborative project found that 4 sites demonstrated a 33% decrease in blood culture rates and a 13% decrease in broad spectrum antibiotic use. The purpose of this current study was to assess whether sites sustained reduced blood culture rates after completion of the formal project. The study found that all sites had lower blood culture rates during the sustainability period when compared with the pre-implementation period. The blood culture rate increased 8% during the sustainability period compared with the postimplementation period but was 27% lower than during the pre-implementation period.
AHRQ-funded; HS025642.
Citation: Woods-Hill CZ, Koontz DW, Colantuoni EA .
Sustainability of the Bright STAR diagnostic stewardship program to reduce blood culture rates among critically ill children.
JAMA Pediatr 2023 Nov; 177(11):1234-37. doi: 10.1001/jamapediatrics.2023.3229..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Critical Care, Quality Improvement, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Quality of Care
Mak A, Hwang R, Nace G
Trends in histrelin implantation at a pediatric tertiary care center.
This study investigated procedural outcomes and identified changing trends of utilization among patients undergoing histrelin implantation at a large pediatric tertiary care center over a 15 year period. A total of 746 patients underwent 1794 unique procedures, with 1364 placements/replacements and 430 removals. Procedures were performed in the clinic (60%), sedation unit (35%), and operating room (5%). A total of 14 patients had complications, including two patients that required early implant removal and one patient requiring antibiotics. 579 implants were placed for central precocious puberty (CPP) and 167 for gender dysphoria (GD). The cohort included 25.9% males and 74.1% females with mean age of implantation of 9.48 years. The GD cohort was comprised of 52.4% males and 47.6% females, compared to 18.3% males and 81.7% females in the CPP group. Significant difference was identified for mean age at placement by indication (CPP 8.65 years versus GD 12.34). New patient referrals and implant procedures increased significantly for patients over 14 years of age. Yearly frequency of patients receiving implants for CPP and GD increased significantly, with the proportion of GD patients increasing from 7% to 32%.
AHRQ-funded; HS026116.
Citation: Mak A, Hwang R, Nace G .
Trends in histrelin implantation at a pediatric tertiary care center.
J Surg Res 2023 Nov; 291:73-79. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2023.05.019..
Keywords: Children/Adolescents