Clinical Care
Concerning rates of opioid prescribing to teens and youth
Teens and young adults are notably susceptible to misusing opioids and becoming addicted once exposed. Opioids should be used with great care in this group. Yet a large national study from Boston Children’s Hospital finds that opioid prescriptions to youth aged 13-22 are much like those in older adults. Based on 2005-2015 data from the ... Read More about Concerning rates of opioid prescribing to teens and youth
Our Community
Laughter League: Making sick kids smile
Walking through a children’s hospital accompanied by clowns is a mind-blowing experience. You get to watch the transformation on a child’s face as they crack a smile from their hospital bed. And witness a hushed waiting room break into laughter over a prat fall. Then there’s the moment a baby smiles from behind a glass ... Read More about Laughter League: Making sick kids smile
Clinical Care
Study shows benefits of blended diets
Medically complex children often receive nutrition through gastrostomy tubes (G-tubes) or gastrojejunostomy tubes (G-J-tubes), frequently in the form of conventional formula. Although such formulas can be high in calories, they also tend to be rich in processed carbohydrates and saturated fat and lacking in fiber — characteristics that have been linked to the development of ... Read More about Study shows benefits of blended diets
Clinical Care
The business case for addressing disparities in asthma
The Community Asthma Initiative (CAI) at Boston Children’s Hospital has been improving the health and quality of life of children with asthma for more than a decade — and now there’s exciting new evidence about the financial benefits of doing so. CAI works to address the disproportionately high rate of asthma in children from mostly ... Read More about The business case for addressing disparities in asthma
Clinical Care
Predicting and preventing asthma exacerbations in children
Some pediatric primary care providers in Massachusetts have a powerful new way to identify and prevent uncontrolled asthma in children. The Medical Home Asthma Program (MAP), modeled after the Community Asthma Initiative (CAI), is offered to practices in the Pediatric Physician’s Organization at Children’s (PPOC). MAP helps providers leverage electronic tools to identify at-risk children ... Read More about Predicting and preventing asthma exacerbations in children
Clinical Care
Charting a new course in primary care for patients with asthma
Primary care providers at Boston Children’s Primary Care at Longwood have found that their innovative, personalized approach to treating asthma has improved outcomes for children. Providers recognized that families coping with a child’s asthma needed more guidance than they could get at an annual check-up or sick visit, says Faye Holder-Niles, MD, MPH, a pediatrician ... Read More about Charting a new course in primary care for patients with asthma
Clinical Care
A lifeline for families with asthma
Nilda Gabin knows how terrifying it is to rush to the hospital with a child who is having trouble breathing — fortunately, that hasn’t happened to her in two years. “The scariest part is to see your child struggling to breathe and you can’t do anything to help them at home,” says Nilda, who recalls ... Read More about A lifeline for families with asthma
Our Community
Fostering the future
May is National Foster Care Month, an important time to raise awareness about the needs of children and youth in foster care and their families, while also celebrating the contributions of dedicated foster families and other caring individuals and organizations that are already supporting these young people. My journey to becoming a foster parent As ... Read More about Fostering the future
Patient Stories
When even experts can’t figure you out: CNS-restricted HLH
At first it seemed like motion sickness when 5-year-old Emily threw up after spinning around outside, or during car rides. No one thought much of it. But gradually, she also developed headaches and stomachaches. Her walking and balance started to falter. She became lethargic, and complained about something in her eye. Her face took on ... Read More about When even experts can’t figure you out: CNS-restricted HLH
Research
Children wait for new cancer drugs 6.5 years longer than adults
A 20-year analysis finds that FDA-approved cancer drugs took a median of 6.5 years to go from the first clinical trial in adults to the first trial in children. That’s not good enough for researchers at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, who are calling for expanding children’s access to experimental cancer therapies. “It’s ... Read More about Children wait for new cancer drugs 6.5 years longer than adults