Primary Care Perspectives

Pediatric neurologist Elizabeth Kichula, MD, PhD, discusses the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), prenatal screening, diagnosis and treatment for this neurodegenerative disease. Published November 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published October 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published October 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published September 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published September 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published August 2019 This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published August 2019 This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published July 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

E-cigarette Use in Adolescents 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. Published July 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.

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. Published June 2019. This podcast is for general informational and educational purposes only and is not to be considered as medical advice for any particular patient. Clinicians must rely on their own informed clinical judgment in making recommendations to their patients. ©2019 by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, all rights reserved.