Academic pediatrics
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This paper provides a primer for qualitative research in medical education. Our aim is to equip readers with a basic understanding of qualitative research and prepare them to judge the goodness of fit between qualitative research and their own research questions. We provide an overview of the reasons for choosing a qualitative research approach and potential benefits of using these methods for systematic investigation. ⋯ We conclude with a worksheet that readers may use for designing a qualitative study. Medical educators ask many questions that carefully designed qualitative research would address effectively. Careful attention to the design of qualitative studies will help to ensure credible answers that will illuminate many of the issues, challenges, and quandaries that arise while doing the work of medical education.
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Academic pediatrics · Jul 2011
Comparative StudyUrgency of emergency department visits by children with sickle cell disease: a comparison of 3 chronic conditions.
Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) often receive care in the emergency department (ED), but the urgency of these frequent visits is not well understood. This study examined ED use by children with SCD by comparing the urgency of ED visits among children with SCD, asthma, and diabetes mellitus. ⋯ Similar to visits by children with diabetes, ED visits by children with SCD are substantially more likely than those by children with asthma to be of high urgency.
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Academic pediatrics · Jul 2011
Comparative StudyAnnual report on health care for children and youth in the United States: focus on trends in hospital use and quality.
The aim of this study was to describe selected trends in hospital inpatient care for children between 2000 and 2007. ⋯ Although teenage pregnancy rates were declining, there was a worsening trend in skin infections. The latter may eventually be impacted by recent publication of new guidelines for treatment by office-based physicians. A gradually increasing role of Medicaid as a payer for hospital care for children will likely put an increasing strain on public resources in advance of the full implementation of the health insurance reforms recently enacted. The decline in potentially avoidable admissions reduces the use of the most expensive resources. For asthma and diabetes, children in the lowest income zip codes had persistently higher rates of admission, but the rate fell by one third during the period. Children in the South and West regions had substantial and significant declines in preventable admissions. Particular indicators of safety were improving, whereas others were worsening. Trends were not the same in all types of hospitals, all regions, and income categories. This is already a rich area for further research on the impact of quality improvement strategies; however, attention is needed to developing more tools to more thoroughly track quality of care for children.
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Academic pediatrics · Jul 2011
Comparative StudyMedical home disparities between children with public and private insurance.
To compare the prevalence of a medical home for children with public versus private insurance and identify components of the medical home that contribute to any differences. ⋯ Significant medical home disparities exist between publicly and privately insured children, driven primarily by disparities in family-centered care. Efforts to promote the medical home must recognize and address determinants of family-centered care.
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Academic pediatrics · May 2011
ReviewThe APA and the rise of pediatric generalist network research.
The Academic Pediatric Association (APA, formerly the Ambulatory Pediatric Association) first encouraged multi-institutional collaborative research among its members over 30 years ago. Individual APA members subsequently went on to figure prominently in establishing formal research networks. ⋯ At present, 4 generalist networks--Pediatric Research in Office Settings (PROS), the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN), the COntinuity Research NETwork (CORNET), and Pediatric Research in Inpatient Settings (PRIS)--have a track record of extensive achievement in generating new knowledge aimed at improving the health and health care of children. This review details the history, accomplishments, and future directions of these networks and summarizes the common themes, strengths, challenges, and opportunities inherent in pediatric generalist network research.