Background and Objective: Pediatric patients view hospitalization as an overwhelmingly negative experience, and this has implications in treatment adherence, patient-provider relationships, and overall health outcomes. Children should be active agents and collaborate with doctors in their medical treatments, and yet, they are frequently excluded in practice and research, suggesting that insight into improving their hospital stay is underexplored. The purpose of this literature review is to understand hospitalization stress in pediatric populations and make recommendations in enhancing the experience. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted in the PubMed database in July 2025 to first understand the pediatric hospitalization experience from the perspectives of children, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. After identifying central themes and areas of improvement, secondary searches were made within each theme for completeness of available data. Papers were considered if they focused on pediatric populations and in the English language. Key Content and Findings: Results show that the built environment of hospitals may not adequately address the needs of children, leading to heightened stress and longer hospital visits. Play and art therapy often have positive impacts, though these services may be underutilized in hospitals or have unexpected negative effects. Children feel marginalized in communication from doctors, and both patients and caregivers feel frustrated with lack of information or unresolved concerns. Doctors may miss empathetic opportunities, compromising care outcomes and patient-provider relationships. Conclusions: Children value developmentally appropriate physical spaces, play and art activities, and active involvement in their own treatment. Improving the hospitalization experience may lead to better healthcare outcomes through reduced psychosocial stress. Physicians are recommended to actively speak to children and assess their perspectives, provide toys and games, allow patients to modify their rooms whenever possible, and ask questions beyond the child’s illness to demonstrate empathy. Future research should explore more narratives of hospitalized children, ways of incorporating patient preferences to the hospital, and developmentally-appropriate communication techniques.

This systematic literature review examines the relationship between psoriasis and pregnancy to elucidate possible new routes of treatment. Findings from this review help reduce the gap in the literature on the topic as well as educate physicians and pregnant women with psoriasis on how psoriasis may present along the course of pregnancy and thereafter. Searches were primarily conducted in three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase. Articles considered for inclusion in this literature review focused on the presentation of psoriasis during pregnancy. The literature sample obtained consisted of 14 peer-reviewed articles published from 2012-2022. As codes were identified, a master code list was developed. Second cycle coding involved categorizing of the data allowing for codes to combine and emerge as themes. Five themes were identified through categorical analysis: immunology, general sex hormones, estrogen, progesterone, and the HLA-Cw6 allele. Collectively, these findings elucidate the individual nature of psoriasis and identify progesterone as a possible non-teratogenic therapy. Primarily, the presence of the HLA-Cw6 allele in a woman’s genome along with the individual variation of estrogen receptors reinforces the researcher’s recommendation of genetic testing following a psoriasis diagnosis. This genetic testing may allow patients and physicians to best understand what to expect of psoriasis during pregnancy as well as help determine the most efficacious treatment course to follow for therapy.

The rising prevalence of pediatric food allergies represents a growing public health concern, with hospitalizations for food-induced anaphylaxis on the rise. Early cutaneous manifestations, particularly in the setting of atopic dermatitis (AD), may indicate sensitization via the skin—a critical route for allergen exposure in early life. Pediatric food allergies can be IgE-mediated, non-IgE-mediated, or mixed, with each type presenting distinct pathophysiological and clinical features. IgE-mediated reactions often involve acute urticaria and angioedema, while non-IgE forms, such as food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), manifest with delayed gastrointestinal symptoms and limited skin involvement. AD is closely linked with food allergies, both in pathogenesis and symptom exacerbation, with a high prevalence of co-occurrence. Diagnosis primarily relies on clinical evaluation, supported by testing such as skin prick testing, serum IgE, and oral food challenges, though limitations exist in sensitivity and specificity. Management emphasizes allergen avoidance, symptom control, and multidisciplinary care. While many pediatric food allergies resolve with age, others persist or present chronically, necessitating long-term strategies. Coordinated management between allergy and dermatology is key to minimizing complications and supporting better long-term outcomes for affected children.