Things We Like This Month – January 2020

So, Christmas, Hannukah, and New Year are over. The last vestiges of cute NICU babies in Father Christmas hats are drifting off Twitter, the feeling of hunger is gently returning, and the 3D printed Tyrannosaurus Rex Menorah is finally going back in it’s box.

Having enjoyed some downtime and driving that make the Nazareth-Bethlehem commute look like child’s play, the Norwich PEM team have had an enjoyable festive period unwrapping their favourite FOAMed for you all to enjoy. So grab yet another leftover turkey sandwich, file away that gym membership paperwork, and tuck in to another month’s worth of TWLTM – our round up of the internet’s best FOAMed content.

Journal Articles we like

Does the word “quiet” really make things busier?

In the words of an oft-quoted American sitcom character, I’m not superstitious, but I am a little stitious. Having been many times burned by the “Q” word at work, I avoid its use and actively discourage others from using it as well. It is therefore pleasing to read that by avoiding this word I may well have singlehandedly reduced paediatric acuity for a number of years. Here, for your reading pleasure was our Christmas Journal Club entry from this year, conclusive proof that The Word That Shant Be Named does increase acute admissions to hospital. Tread carefully, young grasshoppers…

The Jedward vs The Mohawk: Battle of the distraction techniques

Any grizzled veteran paediatric registrar will tell you, distraction is the key to everything, whether it is cannulating a small child, or convincing your ARCP to slide past another year without doing an audit. Everybody has their favoured techniques, and everyone will wax lyrical about their technique’s supposed superiority. But where does that leave those of us with a disposition for evidence in the scant world of distraction techniques EBM? Well, it leads us to this paper from the EMJ, comparing the two favoured rubber glove mascot techniques, colloquially “The Jedward” and “The Mohawk”. Will this paper convince you to ditch Peppa on your phone? Break it down for yourselves and see…

#FOAMed we like

Being Well, Staying Well in Paediatrics – Paediatric FOAM

There is no escaping the fact that paediatrics is a long, often difficult training. In the era of the ever-looming ARCP, the lines between work and rest can be blurred, and this can lead to resentment and burn out. In this great article, Zeshan Qureshi looks at 10 ways we can all improve our work/life balance, and rediscover our mojo at work and at home

Joy in Work – Paediatric FOAM

Staying with the New Year, New Me theme, another must read this month is Seb Grey’s piece on Joy at Work. Paediatrics is often a joyful place, but looking after each other, and yourselves during stressful times at work is key to maintaining a culture of safety at work. In this article, Seb delves deep into the wellness at work literature, and pulls out some pearls for optimising your work environment

Twitter Stuff we like

Grace Leo (feat. DoodleMedicine) on differential diagnosis

George Gantsoudes on MSK Injuries in Children

Podcasts we like

Psychosomatic Illness – PHEMCast

Although this is an adult-focused podcast, we often see psychosomatic illness in our adolescent patients, and often it is a large gap in our medical knowledge. This excellent podcast looks at psychosomatic illness, the challenges faced by both us as clinicians and by the patients, and strategies for communicating and managing these patients. A must listen for anyone with an interest in adolescent medicine.