In this post, we will be taking a closer look at some of the most popular pediatrics-related articles recently published across medical journals.

Many Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows Are Not Ready to Graduate From Fellowship in 2 Years

  • Pediatrics
  • March 2025
  • EPA-based assessments across pediatric subspecialties reveal that fewer than 50% of fellows meet clinical competency thresholds for graduation after 2 years, with readiness markedly improving to 86–100% by the third year.
  • These findings suggest that, under current training structures, most fellows require the full 3-year duration to achieve expected levels of supervision for both clinical and scholarly EPAs, emphasizing the need for robust competency frameworks in any proposed training duration changes.
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What Parents Should Understand About Growth in Children

  • JAMA Pediatrics
  • March 2025
  • Short stature is often benign and familial, but clinical concern arises when a child falls below the 3rd percentile for height, shows a declining growth velocity, or presents with features suggestive of systemic disease, nutritional deficiency, or endocrine dysfunction.
  • Referral to pediatric endocrinology is warranted when growth patterns deviate significantly from genetic potential, or when associated findings—such as delayed puberty, chronic illness, or abnormal body proportions—suggest an underlying hormonal or pathological cause.
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October 2024 ACIP Meeting Update: Influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and Other Vaccines

  • Pediatrics
  • March 2025
  • At the October 2024 ACIP meeting, key pediatric-focused updates included revised recommendations for COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, along with new guidance on meningococcal vaccination and RSV immunization strategies for pregnant individuals and infants.
  • The committee also reviewed updates to the child and adolescent immunization schedule, emphasizing implementation and effectiveness data to inform clinical practice.
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Urine Testing in Children with Viral Symptoms: A Nationwide Analysis of Ambulatory Visits, 2014-2019

  • The Journal of Pediatrics
  • March 2025
  • Urine testing is commonly performed during pediatric ambulatory visits for viral symptoms without genitourinary complaints, accounting for 38% of all urine tests—despite limited clinical indication in this context.
  • Testing was more frequent in ED settings and disproportionately higher among older female patients (ages 6–17), highlighting potential overuse in low-risk populations and an opportunity for diagnostic stewardship.
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Care Team Assistants as a Strategy to Reduce Physicians’ Administrative Task Burden

  • Hospital Pediatrics
  • April 2025
  • Care Team Assistants (CTAs) significantly reduce physicians’ administrative burden, with 93% of providers spending less than 1 hour on such tasks when a CTA is present, compared to 20% without one.
  • CTAs contribute approximately 6 hours daily to rounding and care coordination, with 99% of providers reporting improved job satisfaction and increased time for direct patient care, underscoring their value in optimizing inpatient workflow and clinician well-being.
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Risk Assessment of Maladaptive Behaviors in Adolescents: Nutrition, Screen Time, Prenatal Exposure, Childhood Adversities - Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study

  • Journal of Adolescent Health
  • April 2025
  • Using data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development study, six key environmental and psychosocial factors—including high fat/sugar intake, screen time, prenatal alcohol exposure, and family adversity—were identified as contributors to maladaptive behavior risk in children.
  • High-risk children demonstrated altered reward processing on fMRI, increased impulsivity, and greater behavioral problems over two years, suggesting neurobiological underpinnings that could inform early identification and preventive interventions.
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Azithromycin for Critically Ill Children With Bronchiolitis: A U.S. Pediatric Health Information Systems Registry Study, 2013–2022

  • Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
  • March 2025
  • From 2013–2022, azithromycin was prescribed to 3.8% of critically ill children with bronchiolitis in U.S. PICUs, with significant variation by institution (range 1.2–24.3%) and a consistent decline in use beginning in 2017.
  • Azithromycin use was more common among older patients and those receiving corticosteroids, albuterol, or advanced respiratory support, suggesting that prescribing patterns may reflect perceived illness severity or overlapping asthma phenotypes.
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Cost of Intentional Drug Overdose and Other Self-Harm Among Youth in the United States, 2021

  • Academic Pediatrics
  • February 2025
  • In 2021, self-harm encounters among youth aged 8–21 resulted in an estimated $869 million in direct healthcare costs, with intentional overdose accounting for $530 million—nearly two-thirds of the total.
  • Female patients represented 79% of overdose-related costs, highlighting the urgent need for targeted prevention strategies, including upstream mental health interventions and safe medication storage initiatives.
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Trajectories of depressive symptoms among young people in London, UK, and Tokyo, Japan: a longitudinal cross-cohort study

  • The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
  • April 2025
  • In a longitudinal comparison of adolescent cohorts from London and Tokyo, gender disparities in depressive symptoms were consistently greater in London, with earlier onset and a more rapid increase in symptom burden among girls, particularly during adolescence.
  • Measurement invariance analyses confirmed the validity of cross-cultural comparisons, suggesting that observed gender inequalities reflect true contextual differences—underscoring the potential for social and structural interventions to mitigate disparities in youth mental health.
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There you have it - a look at some of the most popular pediatrics articles recently released. Sign up for alerts and stay informed on the latest published guidelines and articles.

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