2020, the year COVID-19 tuned us into science: Part 1
On January 9, the World Health Organization announced a mysterious pneumonia in Wuhan, China. Few people knew it was the threat infectious disease experts had feared for decades: a fast-spreading, potentially deadly new virus with no known cure. As the first images of critically ill patients came out of China and Italy, we watched as ... Read More about 2020, the year COVID-19 tuned us into science: Part 1
New health care data-sharing rule, coming in 2022, has its roots at Boston Children’s Hospital
Are you sick of health care systems not communicating with each other? Do you wish you could access more of your medical information — or your patients’ information — online? Do you ever wonder whether a health pattern you see is part of a larger trend? Two key developments have advanced the vision of seamless, ... Read More about New health care data-sharing rule, coming in 2022, has its roots at Boston Children’s Hospital
After decades of evolution, gene therapy arrives
As early as the 1960s, scientists speculated that DNA sequences could be introduced into patients’ cells to cure genetic disorders. In the early 1980s, David Williams, MD, and David Nathan, MD, at Boston Children’s Hospital published the first paper showing one could use a virus to insert genes into blood-forming stem cells. In 2003, the ... Read More about After decades of evolution, gene therapy arrives
In-hospital telehealth: Care innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic
The quick response, or QR, code — that square barcode symbol used by smartphone apps to link users with specific information — became an unexpected but essential tool for patient care at Boston Children’s Hospital in early spring. When the first patients with COVID-19 arrived, it quickly became clear that health care providers needed safer ... Read More about In-hospital telehealth: Care innovation during the COVID-19 pandemic
Treating chronic pain virtually: A telehealth success story
When the COVID-19 pandemic forced shutdowns in March 2020, many clinicians found themselves faced with a whole new challenge: conducting much of patient care from their computers. Although telehealth was already a part of some physicians’ practices, others have had to learn how to adapt existing clinical skills to virtual platforms. But there have been ... Read More about Treating chronic pain virtually: A telehealth success story
At the forefront of kidney stone removal: Innovative approaches transform patient care
No longer considered just an adult problem, kidney stones increasingly affect children as well. The majority of children who cannot pass stones on their own can be treated with minimally invasive approaches such as extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy, ureteroscopy, percutaneous nephrolithotomy, laparoscopic and robotic approaches and, rarely, open surgery. Now, two recent innovations provide additional ... Read More about At the forefront of kidney stone removal: Innovative approaches transform patient care
Remdesivir: What to know about the first drug approved to treat COVID-19
In late October, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially approved the antiviral drug remdesivir (Veklury) for COVID-19. The approval has been controversial, with many scientists questioning the strength of the evidence and proposing that the drug undergo further clinical trials before receiving full FDA approval . What does this mean for children who ... Read More about Remdesivir: What to know about the first drug approved to treat COVID-19
Language barriers linked with medical errors in hospitalized children
A new study finds that hospitalized children whose families have limited comfort with English are twice as likely to experience medical errors. The study, which did not include patient data from Boston Children’s Hospital, highlights the need for improving communication between these families and the health care providers they interact with to ensure the safety ... Read More about Language barriers linked with medical errors in hospitalized children
Coordinated care and research for genetic cardiovascular disorders
Genetic cardiovascular disease in children sometimes comes to light in a crisis — a sudden collapse, sudden breathing difficulty, a sudden death in the family. Or it may be part of a diverse collection of symptoms, mostly having nothing to do with the heart. Sometimes it is picked up incidentally. “From an incidental ECG finding ... Read More about Coordinated care and research for genetic cardiovascular disorders
Clinicians: Four tips for effective virtual visits
Now that we’re eight months into the coronavirus pandemic, most providers have had experience with virtual, or telehealth, visits. These visits have been a necessary, and very convenient way to continue to safely provide patients with care. Like many other hospitals around the country, Boston Children’s had to ramp up telehealth services quickly at the ... Read More about Clinicians: Four tips for effective virtual visits