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Background To define the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), and hypertension (HTN) in pediatric patients diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) over a recent 9-year period. Methods This study is a retrospective cohort study of all pediatric patients diagnosed with ALL at Nationwide Children's Hospital from January 1, 2008, to December 31, 2016. Patient demographic and clinical data including serum creatinine and blood pressure were collected at diagnosis up to 9 years post diagnosis. Results A total of 222 patients were identified for this study. The overall incidence of AKI in our cohort was high, with 101 subjects (45.5%, CI 38.8-52.3%) developing AKI at least once. CKD status could only be determined in 214 patients due to limited later GFR data. The incidence of CKD was low with only 5 of 214 patients developing CKD (2.3%, CI: 0.8-5.4%). The overall incidence of HTN at diagnosis was 45.6% (95% CI: 59.1-72%), and at 1 month post diagnosis was 65.8% (95% CI: 59.1-72.0%). Chronic HTN could only be determined in 216 patients due to limited blood pressure data. Chronic HTN was noted in 34.3% of patients (74/216, 95% CI: 28-41%). Conclusions Among children with ALL, the incidence of AKI is relatively high at the time of diagnosis. However, development of CKD is relatively rare, suggesting good mid-term kidney prognosis. There is a high incidence of HTN at the time of diagnosis, 1 month post diagnosis, and chronic HTN that often goes untreated. Graphical abstract A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information, Author(s): Reeti Kumar [sup.1] , Suzanne Reed [sup.2] , Joseph R. Stanek [sup.2] , John D. Mahan [sup.3] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.189509.c, 0000000100241216, Department of Pediatrics, Division Nephrology, Duke University [...]

Burnout in pediatric residents is widespread. Certain factors are associated with decreased burnout, such as empathy, self-compassion, mindfulness, and resilience, while perceived stress is associated with increased burnout. Narrative medicine may reduce burnout by its impact on protective and exacerbating factors and can be an active tool to promote wellness. The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate immediate and delayed benefits of a longitudinal narrative medicine intervention for pediatric residents using qualitative and quantitative measures. We designed a voluntary longitudinal narrative medicine intervention implemented via Zoom teleconferencing software over five months for pediatric residents at Nationwide Children's Hospital. It consisted of six one-hour long sessions where residents engaged with literature, responded to a writing prompt, and shared their reflections. It was evaluated using open-ended survey questions and established quantitative assessment tools of well-being with validity evidence. Results were compared before the intervention, immediately after, and six months later using one-way ANOVA and multiple linear regression. Qualitative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Twenty-two (14% of eligible) residents participated in at least one session. After the intervention, the following themes emerged for benefits to resident well-being: the ability to Build Community, have an Outlet for Self-Expression, reap Emotional and Mental Health Benefits, and work on Personal Growth. Benefits were sustained even six months later, which has not been shown previously. While there were significant qualitative findings, between all three time points, there was no change in any quantitative well-being measures. Our longitudinal narrative medicine pilot study showed meaningful sustained qualitative benefits, though no quantitative changes, in measured well-being outcomes that have been previously associated with lower resident burnout. While not a panacea, narrative medicine can be a useful strategy for residency programs to improve pediatric resident well-being even after completion of planned interventions. We used a mixed-methods approach to assess the effects of a longitudinal narrative medicine intervention on well-being in pediatric residents. Open-ended responses indicated that residents found utility in and appreciated the intervention and experienced sustained improvements in their mental and emotional health, though the sample size was likely too small to show quantitative changes in well-being measures. Narrative medicine is not a panacea, but it can be a useful tool to provide to pediatric residents to promote sustained improvements in their well-being through the framework of relationship-centered care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teach Back (TB) is recommended to assess and ensure patient understanding, thereby promoting safety, quality, and equity. There are many TB trainings, typically lacking assessment tools with validity evidence. We used a pediatric resident competency-based communication curriculum to develop initial validity evidence and refinement recommendations for a Teach-back Observation Tool (T-BOT). Objective: This study aimed to develop initial validity evidence for a refined T-BOT and provide guidance for further enhancements to improve essential TB skills training among pediatric residents. Methods: After an interactive health literacy (HL) training, residents participated in recorded standardized patient (SP) encounters. Raters developed T-BOT scoring criteria, then scored a gold standard TB video and resident SP encounters. For agreement, Fleiss' Kappa was computed for >2 raters, and Cohen's Kappa for two raters. Percent agreement and intraclass correlation (ICC) were calculated. Statistics were calculated for gold standard (GS) and TB items overall for all six raters, and for five faculty raters. Agreement was based on Kappa: no agreement (≤0), none to slight (0.01–0.20), fair (0.21–0.40), moderate (0.41–0.60), substantial (0.61–0.80), almost perfect (0.81–1.00). Key Results: For six raters, Kappa for the GS was 0.554 (moderate agreement) with 71.4% agreement; ICC =.597; for SP encounters, it was 0.637 (substantial) with 65.4% agreement; ICC =.647. Individual item agreement for SP encounters average was 0.605 (moderate), ranging from 0.142 (slight) to 1 (perfect). For five faculty raters, Kappa for the GS was 0.779 (substantial) with 85.7% agreement; ICC =.824; for resident SP encounters, it was 0.751 (substantial), with 76.9% agreement; ICC =.759. Individual item agreement on SP encounters average was 0.718 (substantial), ranging from 0.156 (slight) to 1 (perfect). Conclusion: We provide initial validity evidence for a modified T-BOT and recommendations for improvement. With further refinements to increase validity evidence, accompanied by shared understanding of TB and rating criteria, the T-BOT may be useful in strengthening approaches to teaching and improving essential TB skills among health care team members, thereby increasing organizational HL and improving outcomes. [HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. 2023;7(4):e187–e196.] Plain Language Summary: We provide initial validity evidence for a refined T-BOT and recommendations for further enhancements to improve essential TB skills among pediatric residents. With attention to a shared understanding of TB and rating criteria, this tool may be used to improve HL training, thereby increasing organizational HL and improving outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phenomenon: The phenomenon of individualized education, an essential component of competency-based medical education, addresses individual learner needs while working toward standardized learning outcomes. One challenge with broadly implementing individualized education is the lack of a pragmatic operational definition. To formalize expectations for individualized education, the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education in 2013 began requiring six months of individualized curriculum (IC) during pediatric residency; however, there is not a national standard of formal curricular goals for the IC as an educational entity. Examining and describing the overarching curricular goals of IC could provide a framework for discourse about and further study of individualized education in medicine across disciplines and the continuum of medical education. Thus, we aimed to describe the phenomenon of individualized education through the lens of the goals of the IC in pediatric residency in the United States. Approach: In 2017, a purposeful sample of Pediatric Residency leaders were recruited to represent a diverse sample of program sizes, regions of the country, and importance of the IC to the program leadership. They completed an online survey with open-ended questions describing formal and implicit goals of their program's IC. The authors analyzed responses initially using conventional content analysis, then investigated whether the themes for program goals aligned with any existing educational theory. The concepts and language aligned with the principles of self-determination theory (SDT); therefore, the IC goals were subsequently grouped using the SDT domains of relatedness, autonomy, and competence. A focus group with a subset of survey respondents was conducted for member checking and elaboration of concepts. Findings: Program leaders from a diverse sample of 36 programs participated in the survey and a subset of 11 programs participated in the focus group. The common goals across all programs are listed in parentheses and organized by domains of SDT: 1)Relatedness goals (engage in mentorship, select a career) cultivate resident's professional identity based on their desired future career path; 2)autonomy goals (create a learning plan, practice accountability) help residents plan their path; and fulfillment of their plans lead to 3)competence goals (develop targeted clinical skills and knowledge, ensure comprehensive exposure, address learning gaps), ensuring they have a comprehensive skill set for their chosen identity. Insights: This study provides a framework to describe the phenomenon of individualized education through the lens of IC curricular goals in pediatric residency. The goals for IC that emerged from this study serve as a pragmatic framework for implementation of individualized education. They provide a common language and structure to promote more rigorous and collaborative study of individualized education across programs, disciplines, and settings in medicine. They may function as a roadmap for learners to navigate educational activities and for programs to help shape the experiences of their learners and examine outcomes of individualized education in their programs. The framework can also help individual pediatric residency programs structure improvements to their IC. Disciplines beyond pediatrics may also use this framework to better structure elective experiences to capitalize on the benefits of individual education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]