Primary Care Perspectives: Podcast for Pediatricians

Zachary McClain, MD, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine and Medical Director of CHOP’s Young Men’s Clinic, talks about taking care of teenagers, in particular young men. He covers strategies for addressing common teen concerns, such as sexuality and sexual function, how to normalize topics that may be uncomfortable to discuss, common testicular pathology, importance of routine testicular exams, and more.

Children and infants have different needs than adults when it comes to anesthesia. Ronald Litman, DO, ML, talks about how anesthesia in children is different than anesthesia in adults, commonly used medications, recent research around maximizing comfort as well as risks associated with anesthesia, and how pediatric anesthesiologists are specially trained to help kids cope and prepare them for surgery.

Pediatric neurologist Sarah Hopkins, MD, MSPH, talks about the presentation, diagnosis, and management of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM), including how to distinguish it from other similar neurologic diseases.

The most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States, HPV (and HPV vaccinations) is a hot topic for primary care providers. Aletha Akers, MD, MPH, FACOG, an attending physician in the Division of Adolescent Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, discusses HPV symptoms, screening recommendations, transmission and prevention, long-term implications, the latest studies looking at the impact of the HPV vaccine, and more.

Between 400,000 – 500,000 children are in foster care in the U.S. on any given day. Because children in foster care have a higher prevalence of physical, developmental, dental, and behavioral health conditions than any other group of children, the AAP has identified them as a population with special healthcare needs. Pediatric residents Drs. Zoe Bouchelle, Shari Gitlin, and Josh Sperling discuss the unique healthcare needs of children in foster care with Dr. Kristin Fortin, attending physician with Safe Place and the Center for Child Protection and Health at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

Ian Lahey, PT, DPT, OCS, SCS, CSCS, FAAOMPT, a Physical Therapist with the Sports Medicine and Performance Center at CHOP, discusses the latest non-surgical treatments for scoliosis in children, including guidelines for wearing braces and the benefits of scoliosis rehab, plus the importance and challenges of furthering research in this field.

Clinical Director of Endocrinology at CHOP, Andrew Calabria, MD, talks about forms and sources of vitamin D, the role it plays, targets for vitamin D intake for infants and children, when vitamin D supplements are called for, preventing vitamin D deficiency and rickets, and more.

Based on recent data, up to 20% of high school students regularly use e-cigarettes. 1 in 5 high school students and 1 in 20 middle school students are regularly using these products. Brian Jenssen, MD, MSHP, talks about concerning trends in adolescent e-cigarette use, different vaping devices, exposure risks related to harmful chemicals in these products, the latest regulations, and what pediatric healthcare providers need to know about the effects e-cigarettes can have, specifically on adolescents and teens.

Teens who identify as transgender have high rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide. Primary care providers are in a unique position to inquire about gender development as part of routine well-child care and be a trusted source of support and information for patients and families. Sarah Hart-Unger, MD, endocrinologist at Joe DiMaggio Children’s dives into the endocrine issues and how pediatricians can provide gender-affirmative medical care for transgender and gender-diverse youth.

Gil Binenbaum, MD, MSCE, reviews Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s new clinical pathway on the management of patients with suspected preseptal or orbital cellulitis, including the differential diagnosis, physical exam for orbital signs, reasons for admission, and outpatient management of preseptal cellulitis.

Paul Offit, MD, Director of the Vaccine Education Center and attending physician in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, defines fever in children and talks about counseling families about the benefits of fevers. He discusses strategies for treating fevers appropriately, with emphasis on why treating fever with antipyretic drugs is often NOT the right thing to do.

In honor of National Occupational Therapy Month, occupational therapist Ashley Binkowski, MS, OTR/L, CKTP, talks about what an occupational therapist can do for a child, examples of when a child might need occupational therapy in an outpatient setting, issues commonly seen at different ages, tips for pediatricians when dealing with sensory challenges, and more.

Licensed social worker Sara Kurlansik, MSW, LSW, discusses how primary care providers can help children and families deal with divorce and separation. The episode covers custody issues that frequently come up in primary care and offers tips for physicians to share with parents to ease the transition for children when parents are separating. She also discusses the importance of keeping the focus on the child when issues arise in the office.

Pediatric dermatologist Patrick McMahon, MD, talks about when skin cultures may be indicated for various skin conditions in children. He talks through common examples seen by pediatricians, such as tinea corporis and tinea capitis, when to culture versus when to proceed with treatment following your clinical judgement, tips for obtaining a quality culture, and more.

Jesse Taylor, MD, Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia sits down to discuss positional plagiocephaly (development of a flat spot on a baby’s head), the impact of the Back to Sleep campaign, risk factors for developing plagiocephaly, how it can be clinically differentiated from craniosynostosis and more.