Introduction: Telemedicine has emerged as a critical technology to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 infection. We aim in this work to explore how general practitioners (GPs) perceived the use of telemedicine, recently recognized and reimbursed by the Public Health Insurance House (PHIH) for primary care (PC) provision. Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in 2020 in one county of Romania using an anonymous questionnaire that assessed physicians’ perceptions regarding teleconsultation, reliability in tele-decision, remote pathology management, pregnant women’s surveillance, patients’ satisfaction with telemedicine, the need for its further reimbursement. Bivariate correlation was used to measure associations between the investigated issues. Results: More than a quarter of GPs (28.6%) found it easier to address patients’ healthcare needs remotely, while 60.7% considered time-consuming teleconsultations compared to face-to-face visits. Tele-diagnostic uncertainty was expressed by 64.3% of physicians, and a quarter were confident in tele-decisions. Almost half of GPs (43%) observed patients’ satisfaction with tele-visits, while half said patients encountered difficulties using technology. A large percentage of doctors (62.5%) perceived that patients felt as well treated by virtual as in-person visit and 91.1% suggested post-pandemic reimbursement. The results of the bivariate correlation showed that physicians who perceived positive patient feedback on telemedicine were more supportive of subsequent reimbursement. Conclusion: This study showed the GPs’ positive perception of the use of telemedicine. Its adoption in PC has shed light on the shadows of the pandemic. The time-consuming nature of teleconsultations, uncertainty in tele-decisions, patients’ difficulties in using technology were seen as shadows of telecare. However, most of the GPs surveyed agreed with the need for further reimbursement. Future work should focus on innovative solutions for integrating telemedicine as complementary form of PC, the need for telemedicine-based training for GPs to improve capacity building, and patients’ perceptions of virtual care, helping to build trust and satisfaction.
9 October 2020 in Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism
Objectives: Thyroid cancer is the most common pediatric endocrine neoplasm representing 3% of all malignancies in children. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT) is also a common disorder in the pediatric age range. Patients with HT frequently develop enlarged thyroid with nodules. We aimed to provide a literature review on the frequency of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in patients with HT. Content: A literature search of the PubMed database between 2000 and 2020 was performed, using the relevant keywords “papillary thyroid carcinoma,” “Hashimoto’s thyroiditis” and “children”. We followed the PRISMA statement guidelines during the preparation of this review. Six studies (n=2,065 patients with HT) were retained for the final analysis. The follow-up of the patients with HT was from 2 to 10 years. PTC was diagnosed in 0.67–7.87% of the HT patients included in these studies. In patients with HT and nodules, the percentage of PTC varied between 5.13 and 35%. The overall occurrence of PTC in patients with HT was 3.07%. Summary and Outlook: The number of patients developing thyroid nodules in relation to HT was increased. The development of PTC in children with HT appeared to be higher than in the normal population.
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) represents a significant challenge for pediatricians who intend to diagnose and treat this pathology. The classification criteria for JIA subtypes are rigid and often do not fully satisfy the possibilities of classification in the subtype. The objective of this study was to identify clearer criteria for classifying JIA subtypes. The 2019 expert committee meeting (PRINTO) shows the difficulties of this classification and proposes new research directions for the identification of disease subtypes. Four different chronic disorders are used to define JIA in a concise and easy to follow classification system. However, dates from the literature suggest that at least 10% of cases are still difficult to classify. Possibly in the future, different classifications of JIA based on pathophysiological and genetic criteria would be necessary.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) or acute inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (AIDP) is a rare autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the nerves. In this report, we present a case of a 15-month-old girl who presented with an inability to walk and support the vertical and sitting positions, pain in the lower limbs accompanied by grimaces, muscular weakness, and agitation due to gait disturbances. This is a unique case in that GBS affected a previously healthy girl and was associated with pneumonia and anemia as the disease progressed, causing an intriguing diagnosis. Also, another remarkable aspect of our case is that complete recovery was achieved following intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and anti-inflammatory treatment; our patient was able to walk again after receiving the first dose of IVIG.
In this report, we present the case of a one-year-old female patient with a history of febrile seizures, which was characterized by multiple seizures during hot baths and more than one episode of status epilepticus. Dravet syndrome was suspected due to the clinical context of the seizures and was confirmed by genetic testing. The brain MRI was found to be normal. Throughout the course of disease progression, the patient showed no signs of neurological degradation. The patient was found to have a mutation in the SCN1A gene with a peculiar course, which had not been reported previously. The normal psychomotor development, as seen in this case, highlights the different possibilities related to disease progression in Dravet syndrome.