Resident Readiness Pediatrics

Practical, case-based preparation for the pediatrics residency experience Resident Readiness Pediatrics is designed to prepare medical students for the full range of clinical scenarios they will encounter during their pediatrics residency. Entirely case-based, the book presents clinical scenarios followed by questions with detailed answer explanations Also included is discussion of the clinical problem-solving process, clinical pearls highlighting key points, and comprehension questions Inspired by a new very popular course at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine entitled “Resident Readiness”

The author's main goal in this book is to introduce the beginning student or pediatric resident to a systematic method of medical decision making. This book is divided into three basic sections: history-taking; physical examination; and medical reasoning. It is important to note that the purpose of this book is NOT to teach everything there is to know about every possible medical diagnosis, but rather to establish a framework for reasoning out a problem. The author assumes that as the learners read about and experience many more encounters over their training period they will be able to apply the facts to this basic framework. Thus, it is important to note that the history-taking and physical examination, first and second sections specifically do NOT mention any diagnoses. Their main purpose is to present the full array of data that needs to be gathered. Note the insertion of several clinical tricks of the trade to help gain accurate data. The third section, medical reasoning will take the reader through the thought process of arriving at a diagnosis. It addresses sifting and winnowing through large amounts of data: interpretation of history, what questions to ask, what questions may or may not be pertinent to the situation at hand, making initial hypotheses and testing them with information from a physical examination. We discuss what to examine based on the history, interpreting the remaining data, re-evaluating hypotheses, re-thinking them and narrowing them further, ideally (but not always) into a unifying hypothesis. If necessary, the author discusses the use of laboratory and imaging as further means to test hypotheses. The author then discusses making treatment plans with the idea forefront in the mind that the hypothesis still may indeed be wrong and have to be revised. The narrowing-down process is critical and necessary for the rational practice of medicine and the techniques are often referred to as "heuristics" (short-cuts). They are most helpful, but are certainly not infallible. The author therefore discusses pitfalls in clinical diagnosis in order to keep the reader keenly aware of the fact that hypotheses are in need of constant review and revision if necessary. This book presents two illustrative and simple cases as journeys through the medical reasoning process. As the learner progresses, he/she will learn to navigate through more difficult cases, However, the more simple cases provide the tools to use for the more complex ones. It is the author's hope that early on in medical training the learners will appreciate the importance of good histories and physical examinations and how to interpret them. They will find that much of the information gathered in this manner will serve them well and lead to more judicious and appropriate usage of technology to arrive at diagnoses.

Well child care is designed to promote optimal health status for children, including school and life success. This preventive care includes anticipatory guidance; continuity of care; assessment of growth and development; screening procedures for vision, hearing, dental, and cognitive development; and immunizations. Anticipatory guidance provides parental health education, counseling, and reassurance. The vast majority of Medicaid-insured children receive fewer than the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended number of well child visits in the preschool years, and a disproportionate number of children have poor health and lack school readiness. With little empirical data available indicating clinical effectiveness other than for immunizations, the AAP recommendations for well child care were originally based on consensus expert opinion, and more than three decades later, documentation of effectiveness remained unavailable. This information gap led policymakers to question the value of well child care and limited incentive to correct its underuse. Only in the last five years have experimental findings indicated an association between well child care and both more cost efficient health care and increased school readiness. Awareness of these findings by insurance company and Medicaid administrators is limited. The purpose for this book is to increase awareness by all stakeholders of the empirically determined clinical effectiveness of well child care. The short-term goal is to facilitate increased utilization of well child care, with a longer term goal of improved child health and life success.

Experimental findings have indicated an association between well-child care and cost-efficient health care and increased school readiness. But insurance companies and Medicaid administrators sometimes arent aware of the findings, which is why a book on well-child care is so necessary. William Pittard, a longtime medical doctor who has spent decades specializing in pediatrics, teams up with other experts to explore how well-child care promotes the health and future success of children in this book for parents, health care providers, policy makers, and others. Learn how: Medicaids scope has been broadened to include preventative care; confrontations and controversies have led to health care reform; legislators and others can take action to improve coverage. The preventive care the authors focus on includes anticipatory guidance; continuity of care; assessment of growth and development; screening procedures for vision, hearing, dental, and cognitive development; and immunizations. By learning more about the health care system and what the latest research tells us about well-child care, youll be better equipped to promote the health and future success of children in a cost-effective way. Thats a win for parents, insurance companies, taxpayers, and most importantlythe next generation.

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue "Pediatric Integrative Medicine: An Emerging Field of Pediatrics" that was published in Children

This comprehensive book thoroughly addresses all aspects of health care transition of adolescents and young adults with chronic illness or disability; and includes the framework, tools and case-based examples needed to develop and evaluate a Health Care Transition (HCT) planning program that can be implemented regardless of a patient’s disease or disability. Health Care Transition: Building a Program for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Illness and Disability is a uniquely inclusive resource, incorporating youth/young adult, caregiver, and pediatric and adult provider voices and perspectives. Part I of the book opens by defining Health Care Transition, describing the urgent need for comprehensive transition planning, barriers to HCT and then offering a framework for developing and evaluating health care transition programs. Part II focuses on the anatomic and neuro-chemical changes that occur in the brain during adolescence and young adulthood, and how they affect function and behavior. Part III covers the perspectives of important participants in the HCT transition process – youth and young adults, caregivers, and both pediatric and adult providers. Each chapter in Part IV addresses a unique aspect of developing HCT programs. Part V explores various examples of successful transition from the perspective of five key participants in the transition process - patients, caregivers, pediatric providers, adult providers and third party payers. Related financial matters are covered in part VI, while Part VII explores special issues such as HCT and the medical home, international perspectives, and potential legal issues. Models of HCT programs are presented in Part VIII, utilizing an example case study. Representing perspectives from over 75 authors and more than 100 medical centers in North America and Europe, Health Care Transition: Building a Program for Adolescents and Young Adults with Chronic Illness and Disability is an ideal resource for any clinician, policy maker, caregiver, or hospitalist working with youth in transition.