MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF … · Associate Diploma. Prior to joining our PEM Team, she worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton

M O N T H L Y N E W S L E T T E R F R O M T H E D E P A R T M E N T O F P E D I A T R I C E M E R G E N C Y M E D I C I N E

PEM

NEWSLETTER BACKWelcome to Volume 2, Issue 1 of our Pediatric Newsletter!

V O L U M E 2 • I S S U E   1 • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8

research@

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Welcome Wenli to Our Team

Events and Updates

PEMMREP News

Recent Publications

Research updates

Research Stars

Volunteer Appreciation Day

Contacts

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I would like to take this opportunity to officially introduce Wenli Xie as the new ResearchAssistant of our PEM Team, as well as our new PEMMREP Coordinator. Wenli fills theClinical Research Assistant role in the Division that was vacated by Mohammed Hassan-Ali in May.   Wenli has a Bachelor Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Tianjin Medical University inChina. She came abroad to McMaster for her Master study and received her Masters ofScience Degree in 2014. After that she went to Toronto to gain a Clinical ResearchAssociate Diploma. Prior to joining our PEM Team, she worked as a Clinical ResearchCoordinator at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and had 2-year experience in clinicalresearch, such as consenting patients, ethics application, coordinating clinical trials andinvestigator-initiated studies in adults and elderly people, etc. Moreover, she hadvolunteer experience at SickKids Paediatric Research Academic Initiative in SickKidsEmergency (PRAISE) program. During her time at PRAISE she gained researchingexperience in the fast-pace environment of the pediatric ED and working experience withcaregivers and young children. Wenli is responsible for coordinating and supervising the volunteers in our PEMMREPprogram, helping with clinical research projects taking place in the ED, and being the“face” of our research program. She’s working on recruiting a new batch of volunteers forJan 2019 semester, hiring posters have been published both online and around campus,interviews are on the way! Like Mohammed, Wenli will be splitting her time in PEM and PediatricThrombosis/Hemostasis/Hemophilia with Dr. Bhatt and Dr. Chan. Her working hours willbe on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday in order to cover up one day of theweekend shift. Her flexible working schedule is highly appreciated! Wenli will be representing McMaster at PERC 2019 in Banff, please do introduce yourselfwhen you see Wenli around and do take the time to make her feel at home in our ED! For any study-related questions, please feel free to email Wenli at [email protected] orcall her extension at 73864. Once again welcome Wenli to our team!                                                                                                - Dr. April Kam ([email protected])

Welcome Wenli to Our Team!

Wenli Xie [email protected]

Events & Updates

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D e p a r t m e n t o f P e d i a t r i c s 5 0 t h A n n i v e r s a r y , N o v 3 0 , 2 0 1 8

Pediatrics Department celebrated the 50th Anniversary at Downtown Hamilton at McMaster’s David

Braley Health Sciences Centre on November 30th. A networking lunch followed by an afternoon of

discussions related to the academic highlights of our past and current practice. Dr. Robin Williams, MD,

FRCPC, CM - Special Advisor to MOHLTC, former Associate Chief Medical Officer of Health in Ontario;

Dr. Jon Tyson, MD, FAAP – Michelle Bain Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Public Health,

University of Texas; Dr. Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, MD, FRCPC - Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation

Chair in Autism, University of Alberta and Dr. Michael Riddell, PhD, Professor, Kinesiology and Health

Science, York University gave their talks on various pediatric topics. 50th Celebration Dinner started in

the evening, with cocktails and dinner with reflections from our chairs. 

H A M I L T O N H E A L T H S C I E N C E S R A N K E D 3 R D I N C A N A D A ’ S T O P4 0 R E S E A R C H H O S P I T A L S

The annual list, prepared by Research InfoSource Inc. (RIS), ranked Hamilton Health

Sciences #3 out of 40 research hospitals in Canada. This year’s placement is a one-spot up

for HHS, having placed #4 for the past year.

Research InfoSource Inc. is a Calgary-based research and development company. To learn

more, visit www.researchinfosource.com

To learn more about Hamilton Health Sciences Research, visit www.hhsresearchadmin.ca

S T U D I E S N E E D E D O N I M P A C T O F C A N A B I S U S E O N P U B E R T Y McMaster University researchers say there is an urgent need for studies on the physical health effects

of canabis use, including its impact on puberty. 

"While the effects of cannabis on neuropsychological and cognitive outcomes in children have been

studied, there's a need to understand the physical health effects of canabis," said the lead author M.

Constantine Samaan, an associate professor of the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University

and a pediatric endocrinologist with Hamilton Health Sciences' McMaster Children's Hospital. 

"As puberty is a critical window of physical growth and development, it is important to fully understand

what impact cannabis consumption can have." Click here to read more

PEMMREP News

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N e w P E M M R E P L O G O !

P r o g r a m S u p e r v i s o r : D r . K a m A p r i l k a m a @ m c m a s t e r . c a

Thank all of you for your voting!

Our new PEMMREP Logo Launched! 

J A N 2 0 1 9 B A T C H I N T E R V I E W : N O V 2 9 , D E C 2 & D E C 3

BIG THANK YOU to Sarah Pershick (Child Life Specialist), Redjana Carciumaru and Emma

Harrison-Trainor (Nurse) to be on the interview panel!

PEMMREP TEAM highly appreciate Redjana's help for covering the PEMMREP Coordinator

role in May - Oct 2018! 

Redjana CarciumaruSarah Pershick Emma Harrison-Trainor

Recent Publications

H A V E A R E C E N T P U B L I C A T I O N / P R E S E N T A T I O N T H A T Y O U W A N T T OS H O W C A S E H E R E ? S E E C O N T A C T S S E C T I O N T O S U B M I T . 05

T r e a t m e n t f a i l u r e i n c h i l d r e n d i a g n o s e d w i t hc o n s t i p a t i o n i n a p a e d i a t r i c e m e r g e n c yd e p a r t m e n t i n r e l a t i o n t o R o m e I I I c r i t e r i a

Objective

To determine if treatment failure varies based on ROME III classification and adherence to

guideline congruent therapy among children diagnosed in an emergency department with

functional constipation.

Methods

Children aged 1 month to 18 years who were diagnosed with constipation in a paediatric

emergency department underwent chart review and 7-day phone follow-up to complete the

ROME III questionnaire, confirm treatments administered, and assess treatment failure.

Participants were classified according to the ROME III criteria as having functional

constipation (FC) or irritable bowel syndrome – constipation (IBS-C) subtype. The primary

outcome was treatment failure defined as ≥ 2 of the following: 1) presenting symptom

persistence; 2) < 1 bowel movement every other day; 3) pain/difficulty passing stools; and 4)

abdominal pain between bowel movements.

Results

Five hundred and thirteen children completed follow-up; 40% (204/513) had FC, 23%

(118/513) IBS-C, and 37% (191/513) did not meet either criteria. Treatment failure rates in

children who received guideline congruent treatment were 28% (38/135) among those

classified as FC and 43% (37/86) among those with IBS-C; P=0.02, a difference of 15% (95%

confidence interval [CI]: 0.02, 0.27). On regression analysis, ROME III classification was not an

independent predictor of treatment failure (odds ratio [OR]: 1.56 [95% CI: 0.97, 2.51]). At 7-

day follow up, pain in between bowel movements was present in 22% (44/204) in FC patients

versus 45% (53/118) of IBS-C patients; P=0.001.

Conclusions

Treatment failure rates in children who receive guideline congruent therapy are higher

among those with IBS-C, however, after adjustment for known confounders the relationship

was not statistically significant.

Author: Dr. Mohamed Eltorki [email protected]

Research Updates..Video AOM

MISSED (in November)

ENROLLED (in November)

63 4PATIENTS

ENROLLED

TOTAL

98Between 6 - 59 months of age

Primary diagnosis of non-severe AOM

Eligible for watchful waiting prior to filling

antibiotic prescription

PAGE #4545 if your patient:

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TOTAL

107

46MISSED

(in November)ENROLLED

(in November)

4PATIENTS

ENROLLED

PAGE #4545 if your patient:

Between 6 months - 10 years presenting with CAP:

Fever (>37.5 C axillary, >37.7 C oral, >38 rectal) recorded

in ED or home in the 48h prior to presentation

Any one of: tachypnea on exam, cough on exam/history,

increased work of breathing on exam, auscultatory

findings consistent with pneumonia

Infiltrates on CXR consistent with bacterial CAP as judged

by ED physician

Attending ED physician diagnoses the child with primary

CAP

SAFER

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Refer to the SAFER flowchart below, to ensure that all eligible patients can be  recruited in a

smooth fashion.  Please see Research Assistants for assistance.

Review of SAFER flowchart..

WE NOW HAVE 2-DAY WEEKEND

RESEARCHSUPPORT!

Research Updates..Point-Of-Care Device

Swab Study

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Testing with the POCT device that uses

isothermal amplification as well as the testing

and optimization of lysis conditions will be

performed in Dr. Mahony’s research lab at St.

Joseph’s Healthcare.

Verbal Consents will be collected by ED nurses

before collecting the one extra study swab

specimen samples from patients. 

Specimens will be sent to SJHH CORE Lab for

testing.

Population: Pediatric patients (0-18 years)

needing nasal or throat swab as standard-of-

care. 

PATIENTS ENROLLEDat MCH ED

In May

ENROLLED (Jun-Nov at

MCH)

0

SQUEEZE

PAGE #4552 if your patient:*On-call hours: 4:30 pm to 8:30 AM, please dial

x76443 to request page. Do not use 87* to send page

during on-call hours. If SQUEEZE Trial pager

unavailable page

Dr. Melissa Parker #2073

TOTAL

158PATIENTS

ENROLLED

3ENROLLED

(May- Nov atMCH)

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Dr. Parker and the SQUEEZE team wouldlike to thank all the PEM Physicians,

Nurses and Learners for their continuedsupport in screening for eligible study

patients!

RESEARCH STARS

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A B I G T H A N K Y O U T O A L L O F T H E F A C U L T Y , N U R S E S   F O R Y O U R C O N T I N U O U S S U P P O R T .   Y O U R D E D I C A T I O N T O R E S E A R C H I S G R E A T L Y A P P R E C I A T E D !

AOM SAFER

1st

2nd

3rd

T H A N K Y O U N U R S E S !

D r . E l t o r k i - 1 3

D r .   M e r a l i - 9

D r .   W e i n g a r t e n - 6

D r . W e i n g a r t e n - 1 1 D r . S c h i n d l e r - 1 0

D r .   K o e l i n k - 6Dr.  Leung-6

Dr.  Solano - 8

Dr.  Eltorki  -  13

Dr. Merali - 7

Physical Assessment Support Follow-Up Visit (SAFER Study) - Alyssa Marfisi, Taylor Young, Alana

Baic, Rebecca Cosby, Lisa Augustino, Christina Skrypka, Thea Pigeon, Mandeep Brar, Stefen

Glendining. SAFER Training completion - Alyssa Marfisi, Taylor Young, Renate Kessaram, Alana

Baic, Rebecca Cosby, Alexandra Petrella, Alexandra Iacob, Thea Pigeon, Mandeep Brar, Lisa

Augustino, Christina Skrypka, Chantal Beaudoin. 

Enrollment support - Taylor Young, Renate Kessaram, Alexandra Frankel (Child Life Specialist)

VOLUNTEER APPRECIATION DAY-Dec 10

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Christmas is around the corner and we are planning on a Volunteer

Appreciation Day on Dec 10, 2018 at RM 2R107 to show our

appreciation to our precious PEMMREP volunteers!

Thank them for all their hard work and support during the previous

semester, the impact that they are making to the ED is immense

and most of them are continuing with us in the NEW YEAR!!

You are very welcome to come and show your thanks to them,

keep smiling when you see them in the ED! 

Each volunteer contributes to approximately 6 hours a week.  As of

today Dec 3, 2018, the PEMMREP volunteers have contributed a

combined 2135 hours of service in 2018 ! Big Thanks for their

continuous interest and support during the exam season!  

Feel free to express your feelings and advice to PEMMREP

program, your feedback is very welcome and means a lot to our

team! Please See Contacts Section to Submit. 

Comments?

Have something to say in the next newsletter?Wenli Xie, MSc, CCRP, CCRC Clinical Research Coordinator Division of Emergency Medicine Department of Pediatrics MUMC 2R107 [email protected] 905-521-2100 x 73864

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