An autumn uptick in mental health visits to the ED is normal as school begins and days darken. This year the surge began unexpectedly early at Seattle Children’s, in August, with about 20 more visits to the ED for mental health concerns than in the previous year. September and October ED numbers are holding steady so far compared to prior years. The difference is the acuity. More kids are arriving with mental health concerns who require admission.
“We all feared the effect that isolation, the pandemic and general societal stress would have on kids,” says Russ Migita, MD, clinical director of Emergency Services. “It’s because of the great work PCPs are doing to support kids and their families that we aren’t seeing even higher numbers in the ED yet. But the busy season is just beginning. We all need to work together to advocate for more resources and options for patients and families in the community.” Read full post »
Dr. Monique Burton and Dr. Celeste Quitiquit are both sports medicine pediatricians. Dr. Burton is medical director of sports medicine and Dr. Quitiquit is co-medical director of the athletic training program at Seattle Children’s.
What does the sports landscape look like for kids this fall?
Monique Burton
Celeste Quitiquit
Drs. Burton and Quitiquit: Youth sports definitely looks different this fall. Some sporting teams are in full effect, with fingers crossed. Other teams already cancelled their seasons in advance. Many sporting teams tread carefully, building safety and contingency plans, creating hybrid practice agendas and trying to stay current with COVID-related news. To say there are some modifications is definitely an understatement. For example, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) has divided the upcoming school year into four sports seasons rather than the usual three, limiting play in fall and moving more play to spring. Almost all of November and December will be a no-play period during which WIAA will reassess plans for 2021 based on what’s happening with COVID-19. It’s very much a fluid, “stay tuned” type of situation. Read full post »
Firearms are the second leading cause of death among children and teens in the United States, after car crashes. One in three U.S. homes where kids live have a firearm, with 43% reporting that the firearm is kept unlocked and loaded.
Seattle Children’s offers this tip sheet (PDF) for providers on counseling families about firearms. Many families feel comfortable discussing firearm safety with their child’s pediatrician when the conversation is approached with neutrality, privacy, respect and confidence.
Read full post »
1. The typical wait time for new patients in Dermatology is 4 to 6 months.
Patients with less urgent conditions such as warts, molluscum contagiosum and acne can expect the longest waits.
2. Dermatology has created several new resources to help PCPs manage their patients in primary care and avoid a long wait to see a specialist.
We realize families are often anxious to have conditions like acne, warts and molluscum addressed more quickly than we can see them. To help support more timely treatment, our Dermatology team created the following resources for PCPs:
They are found on Dermatology’s recently updated Refer a Patient page. Read full post »
Seattle Children’s Pulmonary Diagnostics Lab conducts pulmonary function tests (PFTs) for children ages 5 through 21. The lab welcomes referrals from community providers. Patients do not need to be seen by the Pulmonary team first; they can be referred directly to the lab.
Please fax a New Appointment Request Form (PDF) (doc) to 206-987-3121 or use eReferral. Clearly state you are ordering a pulmonary function test (PFT) and which test(s) you are ordering. Read full post »
1. Nephrology’s webpage has new resources for PCPs on hypertension, abnormal kidney function, hematuria and more.
The Nephrology team has updated its referral guidelines and created many new resources for PCPs to help evaluate and/or refer the following conditions:
Read full post »
Seattle Children’s provides a detailed clinical pathway and resource guide for evaluating human trafficking in-clinic. See the Guidelines for Human Trafficking Evaluation developed by the Seattle Children’s Trafficking Work Group, Adolescent Medicine and community experts. Read full post »
In May, Seattle Children’s held a workshop for providers on the incidence of child abuse during COVID-19 and harm reduction strategies. View the video recording of the workshop, “Abuse at Home: Harm Reduction Strategies During the Covid-19 Pandemic.”
Training goals for the workshop included:
- Intimate partner violence and child abuse projections, risk factors and resource utilization during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Potential consequences of physical distancing and quarantine across populations
- Harm reduction strategies to use in the home
- Community resources for people experiencing abuse or violence in the home
From Seattle Children’s On the Pulse blog
Eighteen months ago, Dr. Lynn Martin, an anesthesiologist and medical director of the ambulatory surgery center at Seattle Children’s, and his colleagues at the Seattle Children’s Bellevue Clinic and Surgery Center set out to reduce the use of opioids during outpatient pediatric surgeries while maintaining or improving pain management and outcomes for patients. Ultimately, they accomplished much more by successfully ousting opioid use during surgeries.
Dr. Lynn Martin
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), drug overdose deaths continue to increase in the United States. It is a problem Martin and his colleagues believe they can help address, which is what drove them to develop a novel initiative at Seattle Children’s to reduce opioids.
Martin and his colleagues completed their breakthrough quality improvement initiative to reduce opioid use, and their findings were published in Anesthesia and Analgesia. Read full post »
The strain on families from the COVID-19 pandemic raises serious concerns for child safety. “It’s a perfect storm,” says Christine Baker, program coordinator with Seattle Children’s Child Protection Advocacy/Outreach program. “The economic strain on families, health worries, the stress of being homebound with kids all day long, the housing insecurity for many, fear of becoming sick and losing loved ones. . . . Parents are stressed and isolated in many ways by this virus.” She notes that the depression of 2008 was followed by a three-fold increase in cases of abusive head trauma in Washington state (a diagnosis that applies only to children 2 years and younger).
The Zero Abuse Project noted last month, “Many child protection professionals believe child abuse is likely to increase during the COVID-19 pandemic because most abusers are parents or siblings who now have more complete access to the child victim. In turn, the victim may no longer have schoolteachers, faith leaders or other mandated reporters they can access for help or who may detect a sign of abuse. Children may also have reduced access to medical and mental health providers” (see Responding to Child Abuse During a Pandemic: 25 Tips for MDTs). Washington state’s child abuse hotline saw a 40% drop in calls in the week after Governor Inslee ordered all schools to close. Read full post »
