Children and adolescents were twice as likely to experience long COVID after catching COVID for the second time, compared to their peers with a single previous infection, according to a large study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and published in Lancet Infectious Diseases. These results run counter to the popular perceptions that COVID in children is "mild" and that reinfections with COVID do not carry the same risk of long COVID that initial infections do.

An analysis of data from over 1.2 million pregnant individuals found that those who received a COVID-19 vaccination had a 58% lower risk of being infected with the virus, as well as a lower risk of experiencing a stillbirth or preterm birth, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30.

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in students being less engaged and open about sexual education when compared with other middle school classes, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30. 

Unintentional pediatric marijuana ingestions in children under the age of 5 have risen by more than 1,000% in the past seven years, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center from Sept. 26-30. A Tennessee research team reviewed over 2,300 pediatric emergency cases from 2016 to 2023 and found cases rose sharply coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 

More pregnant people are turning away from hospital births and instead choosing their homes, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2025 National Conference & Exhibition at the Colorado Convention Center Sept. 26-30. Cincinnati Children’s researchers tracked out-of-hospital births and found that the numbers doubled in the region from April 1, 2020 - December 31, 2023, compared to births from January 1, 2018 - February 29, 2020. The trend was seen most in young, highly educated mothers who were also more likely to have higher body mass index and fewer prenatal visits, according to a study abstract, “The Changing Landscape of Planned Out-of-Hospital Births.”

Why this matters:

Emergency departments, or EDs, are becoming an initial contact for patients to get hospice and palliative care referrals and consultations when presenting to the hospital for care.

In the five years since COVID-19, hospice and palliative care consultations in hospital emergency departments have increased over 170%, although this trend has been growing since 2000.

Increasing access to hospice and palliative care from the ED can enhance quality of life for both patients and their families.