Archive for health equity
Making pediatric health equity research truly equitable: An EDI review process
A burgeoning number of studies are examining pediatric health equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). But if not done right, health equity research can do a disservice, perpetuating biases and wrong assumptions that actually exacerbate inequities. To guide EDI-related studies, the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at Boston Children’s Hospital (through Tina Young Poussaint, MD, and Susan ... Read More about Making pediatric health equity research truly equitable: An EDI review process
Medical care for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities: A call for change
According to national data, one in six children has a neurodevelopmental disability (NDD) such as autism, intellectual disability, or ADHD. Their medical care is often inadequate, sometimes leaving conditions untreated and neglecting preventive care — with poorer outcomes as the result. Clinicians may not take time to communicate with children, teens, and young adults with ... Read More about Medical care for youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities: A call for change
Revisiting race and ethnicity in clinical guidelines
Health care institutions often rely on clinical pathways in assessing patients and making decisions about their care. Some of these care algorithms incorporate race, ethnicity, or ancestry as factors in decision making. But is this helpful or harmful? And is there solid evidence to justify treating people of different racial or ethnic backgrounds differently? Robert ... Read More about Revisiting race and ethnicity in clinical guidelines
Helping clinicians embrace family-centered rounds
If you’ve ever been hospitalized, you may have experienced this: groups of doctors coming in and talking about you like you’re not there or addressing you in a perfunctory manner, using medical jargon you don’t understand. Peggy Markle was taken aback when her son was hospitalized for a not-yet-defined condition in Washington and his care ... Read More about Helping clinicians embrace family-centered rounds
Infantile spasms: Speeding referrals for all infants
Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS), often called infantile spasms, is the most common form of epilepsy seen during infancy. Prompt diagnosis and referral to a neurologist are essential. Infantile spasms can present subtly, and research indicates that diagnosis is often delayed. Additionally, infants are especially likely to experience delays in referral to a neurologist if ... Read More about Infantile spasms: Speeding referrals for all infants
A state policy made it harder for families to find shelter. Research helped change the policy.
Physicians and policy makers usually work in separate worlds: those of medicine and government. But when a change in Massachusetts policy led to an unprecedented increase in the number of homeless families seeking shelter in the emergency department (ED), physicians at Boston Children’s Hospital set out to reverse that policy. What happened next shows that ... Read More about A state policy made it harder for families to find shelter. Research helped change the policy.
Bringing equity to genomic sequencing in newborns: BabySeq 2.0
Today, nearly 900 disorders caused by a single gene are known to be treatable. Yet the recommended “heel stick” testing for newborns only covers about 60 inherited, treatable disorders, and many individual states screen for fewer. What if newborns could instead have their entire genome sequenced at birth, with the results shared and acted on ... Read More about Bringing equity to genomic sequencing in newborns: BabySeq 2.0
Advancing mother-child health globally: Grace Chan MD, MPH, PhD
First in an ongoing series profiling researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital. Globally, five million children die annually before the age of 5. Forty percent of these deaths are in the first month — and many are preventable. Grace Chan, MD, MPH, PhD, finds these numbers unacceptable. They contrast starkly with U.S. medicine, including at Boston ... Read More about Advancing mother-child health globally: Grace Chan MD, MPH, PhD
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of hope
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood for many things: justice, non-violence, hope. Even in the face of violent resistance, his belief in a better future inspired a movement that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. How does Dr. King’s message of hope ... Read More about Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy of hope
Care in the classroom: Children’s behavioral health in schools
If you want to address children’s social, emotional, and behavioral health, go to where the kids are — in schools. This straightforward idea is at the heart of the Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships (BCHNP). The program and its team of 17 psychologists and social workers bring behavioral health services and training directly to schools, ... Read More about Care in the classroom: Children’s behavioral health in schools