Curriculum Competencies and Objectives

PREFACE | PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND ATTITUDES | SKILLS | HEALTH SUPERVISION | GROWTH | DEVELOPMENT | BEHAVIOR | NUTRITION | PREVENTION |ISSUES UNIQUE TO ADOLESCENCE | ISSUES UNIQUE TO THE NEWBORN | MEDICAL GENETICS AND DYSMORPHOLOGY | COMMON ACUTE PEDIATIC ILLNESS | COMMON CHRONIC ILLNESS AND DISABILITY | THERAPEUTICS | FLUID AND ELECTROLYTE MANAGEMENT | POISONING | PEDIATRIC EMERGENCIES | CHILD ABUSE | CHILD ADVOCACY | COMMON PEDIATRIC ILLNESS TABLE | CLINICAL ENCOUNTER TABLE | DIAGNOSIS LIST | CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT PARTICIPANTS

COMMON CHRONIC ILLNESS AND DISABILITY

Rationale
Prerequisites
Competencies
Processes

Rationale

Pediatricians are more frequently being asked to care for children with chronic medical conditions and exacerbations of their chronic illness. Physicians will need to understand the long term medical needs, implications and complications of the disorder for the patient as well as the family.

Prerequisites

An understanding of the pathophysiology and epidemiology of the following chronic illnesses: allergies, asthma, sensory impairment, cerebral palsy disability, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, seizure disorder, diabetes mellitus, childhood malignancy, AIDS.

Competencies

Knowledge

1. Describe the clinical features of chronic medical conditions seen in children such as: (CP)
   
   
   • asthma
   • atopic dermatitis
   • cerebral palsy
   • cystic fibrosis
   • diabetes mellitus
   • epilepsy
   • malignancy (e.g. acute lymphocytic leukemia and Wilms tumor)
   • obesity
   • seasonal allergies
   • sickle cell disease
   • HIV/AIDS (M)
   • sensory impairment (M)
     
     
2. Describe how chronic illness can influence a child's growth and development, educational achievement, and psychosocial functioning. (CP)
3. Describe the impact that chronic illness has on the family's emotional, economic and psychosocial functioning. (U)
4. Describe the impact of a patient's culture on the understanding, reaction to, and management of a chronic illness (U)
5. Describe the contributions of each member of a multidisciplinary health care team in caring for children with a chronic illness. (M)
6. Identify the key components of delivering "Bad News" in relation to chronic illness. (MU)
7. Explain the management strategies for common chronic illnesses seen in children such as asthma, seasonal allergies, diabetes, and atopic dermatitis (M)

Skills

1. Perform a medical interview and a physical examination in a child with a chronic illness that includes the (CP)
   
   
   • effects of the chronic illness on growth and development,
   • emotional, economic and psychosocial functioning of the patient and family, the
   • treatments used, including "complementary and alternative therapies."

Processes

Students on the clerkship should see one or more patients with one of the chronic medical conditions listed above. This can be in the context of an acute or routine visit.

Click here to link to the Clinical Case Scenarios.