Provider Connection | January/February 2021
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Provider-Connection

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Discover what’s new in pediatric healthcare. Stay on the cutting edge with regular updates on research, medical news, continuing medical education opportunities and more.

“We’ll never understand COVID-19 disease until we understand it in children”: Study of COVID-19 infection in Orange County schools nears completion
Early findings of a CHOC study of COVID-19 infection at four Orange County schools have provided insight on transmission and mitigation procedures, such as wearing face coverings. Researchers believe that this study could shed light on the role that children play in the spread of the novel coronavirus. Read more about the study here.

AAP releases answers to frequently asked questions about the COVID-19 vaccine
As the COVID-19 vaccine rollout begins to pick up speed, many providers are fielding questions from parents, as well as contemplating their own. The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released a Q & A to help answer some of these commonly asked questions, including information on the status of vaccine research in children, mRNA technology and safety monitoring.

Recent advancements and clinical trials shape the future of sarcoma care
The rarity of sarcomas has made this group of cancers challenging to manage, but collaborative research, experimental treatment protocols and surgical advancements are setting the stage to change that at CHOC. “We’re making exciting progress that will hopefully improve the care pediatric patients with bone and soft tissue sarcomas receive in the future,” says CHOC pediatric oncologist Dr. Elyssa Rubin in this story about the future of sarcoma care.

Pediatric neurosurgeon shares four minimally invasive surgeries made possible by emerging technology
“Today, I’m more excited and optimistic than ever about our ability as clinicians to provide best-in-class treatment to the patients we have the privilege to care for – particularly in a minimally invasive way,” writes Dr. Suresh Magge, medical director of neurosurgery at CHOC and co-medical director of the CHOC Neuroscience Institute. His piece dives into four surgeries he’s excited about as a pediatric neurosurgeon.

Diversity among healthcare professionals is essential to providing the highest quality of care, but U.S. healthcare workforce lacks representation
Data suggests that racial similarity between physician and patient can strengthen trust and lead to improvements in a variety of health disparities, such as access to care, patient outcomes, higher patient satisfaction scores, improved patient compliance and participation in clinical research. Despite this, the rate of racially diverse medical students remains flat – but there are a variety of tools that can be used to achieve a more representative workforce. One doctor outlines challenges and strategies for improvement here.

Study finds pediatric ED visits for injuries increase during COVID-19, as visits for illness fall
A new study that examined emergency department visits for trauma and illnesses suggests that when lockdowns began and schools closed, more children may have turned to playing outdoors, leading to increased opportunity for injury. One children’s hospital saw an uptick in trauma cases and a simultaneous decrease in illness visits, indicating parents may have feared taking their children to the hospital for any condition that didn’t seem dire. Read more about the results of the study here.

Mark your calendars
CHOC offers a host of continuing medical education events to help clinicians stay on the cutting edge of practice.


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