Subspecialty Societies Research Articles

Advocacy: a reflection on my 30 years of orthopedic practice

As orthopedic surgeons, we have the responsibility for advocating for our patients and our profession, on the local, state, and federal levels. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) created the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons to allow for political advocacy. The Association Political Action Committee, OrthoPAC, was created in 1999 and has become an effective tool in our advocacy committee. The American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), along with many orthopedic subspecialty societies, has established an advocacy effort and works with the AAOS through the OrthoPAC as a member of the Advisor’s Circle, which is designed to provide AAOS Members’ group practices and specialty societies with a leadership role within the Political Action Committee of the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (Orthopaedic PAC). If we are to preserve individual patient access to specialized musculoskeletal care, we must support state and federal advocacy efforts. This can be in the form of financial support or personal involvement in relationship building. I encourage all members of ASES, especially the younger ones, to support your state orthopedic societies, the ASES, and the AAOS in their advocacy efforts. The well-being of our patients and the future of our profession depend on you.

The European Diploma in Musculoskeletal Radiology; Past, Present, and Future.

As per recommendations from the European Society of Radiology and the European Union of Medical Specialists, upon completion of level 3 radiology training, an objective assessment of the attained standards, aligned with national customs and practices, should take place. A subspecialty exam should ideally be an integral part of the training completion process. Among 10 of 13 European subspecialty societies currently offering a European subspecialty diploma, the European Society of Musculoskeletal Radiology (ESSR) diploma program was formally introduced by the ESSR in 2003. This article describes the evolution of the ESSR diploma, encompassing the current diploma program, validation procedures, endorsements, and future perspectives. Additionally, insights from a brief survey among ESSR diploma holders is shared, offering valuable tips for prospective candidates aiming to navigate the examination process successfully.

Financial Relationships Between Pharmaceutical Companies and Internal Medicine Societies

This cross-sectional study uses payment data publicly disclosed by pharmaceutical companies affiliated with the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association to describe their financial relationships with the subspecialty societies of the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine.

The prevalence of impostor phenomenon and its association with burnout amongst urologists.

To characterise the prevalence of impostor phenomenon (IP; tendency for high-achieving individuals to perceive themselves as fraudulent in their successes) amongst attending staff in urology, to identify variables that predict more severe impostorism, and to study the association of IP with burnout. A survey composed of the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS), demographic information, practice details, and burnout levels was e-mailed to urologists via urological subspecialty societies. Survey results were analysed to identify associations between IP severity, survey respondent characteristics, and symptoms of professional burnout. This study was conducted in the United States of America. A total of 614 survey responses were received (response rate 11.0%). In all, 40% (n = 213) of responders reported CIPS scores qualifying as either 'frequent' or 'intense' impostorism (i.e., scores of 61-100). On multivariable analysis, female gender, fewer years in practice (i.e., 0-2 years), and lower academic rank were all independently associated with higher CIPS scores (adjusted P < 0.05). Regarding burnout, 46% of responders reported burnout symptoms. On multivariable analysis, increase in CIPS score was independently associated with higher odds of burnout (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.04-1.07; P < 0.001). Impostor phenomenon is prevalent in the urological community and is experienced more severely in younger and female urologists. IP is also independently associated with burnout. Increased female representation may improve IP amongst our female colleagues. More work is needed to determine strategies that are effective in mitigating feelings of IP and professional burnout amongst urologists, particularly those earlier in their careers.

Efforts toward Gender Equality and Diversity in the Japanese Society for Neuroendovascular Therapy.

The Japanese Society for Neuroendovascular Therapy (JSNET) is a diverse subspecialty society based on four basic fields and is continuously growing with the advancement of neuroendovascular therapy. Despite a recent increase in the proportion of female members, awareness of diversity within JSNET remains inadequate. To foster a more mature and inclusive society, we established the JSNET-Diversity Promotion Committee in 2021, which has actively engaged in various initiatives aimed at promoting the inclusion of minorities such as female physicians as well as minority fields. Our objective is to continue in our initiative, anticipating that JSNET will evolve into an even more ideal organization in the future.

Publication Rates of Abstracts Presented at American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Annual Meetings From 2016 to 2019.

Research in the form of poster and podium abstracts is disseminated at subspecialty society meetings. The quality of this research can be defined by exploring the ultimate publication rate of the presented abstracts. To investigate (1) the manuscript publication rate of abstracts presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM) annual meeting; (2) whether abstract format (poster vs podium) influences overall or 2-year publication rates and time to publication; (3) the abstract factors that are associated with increased publication rate; and (4) whether publication quality as measured by journal of publication, level of evidence (LOE), and number of citations differs between posters and podiums. Cross-sectional study. Poster and podium abstracts that were presented at the AOSSM annual meetings between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2019, were included. The PubMed and GoogleScholar databases were searched by abstract title and authors to determine whether the related manuscript had been published. For published manuscripts, the journal, journal impact factor (IF), time to publication, authors, and LOE were recorded. The manuscripts of 664 abstracts (341 poster, 323 podium presentations) were published during the study period. The overall publication rate was 52.4%. Publication within 2 years of the meeting was found to be higher in podium abstracts (45.8%) compared with poster abstracts (37.8%) (P = .0366). Podium abstracts had a shorter time to publication (P < .001), higher LOE (P = .0166), more citations (P < .0001), and were published in higher IF journals (P = .0028). Poster presentations were more likely to undergo a change in first author between the time of the conference and future publication (P = .0300). The most common journal of publication was the American Journal of Sports Medicine (36.8%). Abstracts presented at the AOSSM annual meeting had a high rate of publication within 2 years. There was no difference in publication rates between podium and poster abstracts, but podium abstracts had a shorter time to publication and more future citations and were published in journals with higher IFs.

Subspecialisation in radiology in Europe, a survey of the accreditation council of imaging

BackgroundTo provide an overview of existing Subspecialty Exams and Diplomas in Radiology and their endorsement as well as to providing an insight into the status of subspecialisation in radiology in Europe. The European Training Curriculum for Subspecialisation in Radiology mentions thirteen fields of subspecialisation within radiology. The websites of the corresponding subspecialty societies were checked for Subspecialty Exams and Diplomas. In addition, we performed a survey among European radiologists regarding subspecialisation in radiology.ResultsTen out of 13 European subspecialty societies offer a European subspecialty diploma. At least 7 out of the 10 European subspecialties societies in radiology offering a European subspecialty diploma obtained European Society of Radiology (ESR) endorsement. Two out of 10 obtained European Union of Medical Specialists—Council of European Specialist Medical Assessment endorsement. Survey among European radiologists who were ESR full members in March 2021 demonstrated that almost 20% of respondents indicated that they have no subspecialisation. Another 15% indicated that their area of subspecialisation is not recognised in their country of work. Eighty-four percent of respondents would like their area of subspecialisation in radiology to be officially recognised. According to the respondents, the major benefit of having their subspecialisation in radiology officially recognised is personal interest (45%).ConclusionsThere is a desire for more subspecialty recognition in radiology among European radiologists. Therefore, European subspecialty diplomas in radiology fulfil a need. Furthermore, there is room for further harmonisation and implementation on a European level regarding subspecialty training and recognition in radiology.Critical relevance statementAs there is a desire for more subspecialty recognition in radiology among European radiologists, European subspecialty diplomas in radiology fulfil a need and there is still room for further harmonisation and implementation on a European level regarding subspecialty training in radiology.Key points• Radiology has 13 subspecialties as per the European Training Curriculum for Subspecialisation.• Currently, 15 subspecialty diplomas are offered by European subspecialty societies in radiology• Members of the European Society of Radiology seek greater recognition of radiology subspecialties.Graphical

Financial conflicts of interest between pharmaceutical companies and executive board members of internal medicine subspecialty societies in Japan between 2016 and 2020.

Pharmaceutical companies make payments to physicians such as compensations for lecturing or consulting. Of particular, financial relationships between pharmaceutical companies and leaders of professional medical societies are concern in medical community. However, little was known about them in Japan. This study aimed to evaluate the magnitude and prevalence of personal payments to executive board members (EBMs)of 15 medical associations representing different subspecialties within the Japanese Society of Internal Medicine. All EBMs of 15 medical associations representing internal medicine subspecialties were collected from each association webpage. Payments to the EBMs were extracted from the pharmaceutical companies belonging to the Japan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association between 2016 and 2020. We performed descriptive analysis on the payment data. Of the 353 different EBMs identified, 350 (99.2%) received one or more personal payments from the pharmaceutical companies over the 5 years. 99.2% (350) and 97.2% (343) of all EBMs received personal payments 3 years before and in the year of their board membership. A total of $70,796,014 were made to the EBMs over the 5 years. The median 5-year combined personal payments per EBM was $150,849 (interquartile range [IQR]:$73,412-$282,456). EBMs who were chairman or vice chairman of executive board received significantly larger median personal payments than those who were not ($225,685 vs. $143,885, p = 0.01 in the U test). Among the 15 societies, there were 12 (80.0%) societies with all (100%) EBMs receiving personal payments from the pharmaceutical companies. Although every society has their own conflicts of interest policy, none publicly discloses the financial relationships between pharmaceutical companies and their EBMs due to their privacy. This study demonstrated that nearly all EBMs of 15 medical associations representing internal medicine subspecialties had substantial financial relationships with the pharmaceutical companies in Japan over the past 5 years.

Spring into the Trauma Anesthesiology Society, ASA's Newest Affiliated Subspecialty Society

Spring into the Trauma Anesthesiology Society, ASA's Newest Affiliated Subspecialty Society

A 5-Year Update and Comparison of Factors Related to the Sex Diversity of Orthopaedic Residency Programs in the United States.

The American Medical Association Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database was used to identify all allopathic orthopaedic surgery residency programs during the 2021 to 2022 academic year. The number of female residents and interns; the number of female faculty, professors, and associate professors; and the number of women in leadership positions were compared with data from the academic year 2016 to 2017. Continuous data were analyzed with independent t-tests, and significance was set at p < 0.05. A total of 696 female residents (19.2%) were identified from 3,624 orthopaedic residents, an increase from 13.5% in 2016. Programs in the top quartile of female residents had 3 times the number of female residents per program when compared to other quartiles and almost double the number of female interns per program. Programs in the top quartile of female residents had a significantly greater number of female faculty per program than the lower quartiles; 5.76 vs. 4.18. Compared with 2016 to 2017, there were significant increases in female faculty per program from 2.77 to 4.54 along with female full professors from 0.274 to 0.694. These increases contribute to the overall growth in the number of women in leadership positions per program over the past 5 years to 1.01 from 0.35 (p < 0.001). In the past 5 years, the percentage of female residents has increased from 13.5% to 19.2%. Furthermore, women make up 22.1% of interns. Orthopaedic surgery residency programs with higher percentages of female faculty had higher numbers of female residents. By encouraging programs to promote female representation within leadership and residents, we may continue to see the gap in orthopaedic sex diversity close. III.

Publication Rates of Abstracts Presented at Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society Annual Meetings

Abstract Introduction: Annual scientific meetings are intended in part to provide initial dissemination of research findings directly to meeting participants. However, the eventual publication of research findings is important for dissemination to the broader medical and scientific communities. The Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Society: ASAMI–North America (LLRS) annual meetings showcase important research and case studies in the field of limb reconstruction pertinent to an international community of surgeons. The purpose of this analysis is to determine the publication rates of abstracts from recent LLRS annual meetings. Materials and Methods: Annual meeting programs from six LLRS annual meetings from 2014 to 2021 were cataloged. Listed abstract titles and authors were then queried in PubMed, Google Scholar, and the Journal of Limb Lengthen and Reconstruction to determine if a corresponding work was published journal up to December 2022 and time to publication. Results: During all studied annual meetings, 249 abstracts were presented. By December 2022, 60% (161/269) were published. The longest time to publication was 6 years following the presented annual meeting, whereas the meantime to publication was 21 months. The top publishing journals were the Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics, the Journal of Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction, and Strategies in Trauma and Limb Reconstruction. Discussion: The LLRS annual meeting abstracts lead to a corresponding publication at rates revealing other orthopedic subspecialty societies. However, there are opportunities to improve these rates by continuing to promote the LLRS partnering journals including the Journal of Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction.

Analysis of ophthalmology subspecialty opioid prescribing patterns during the opioid public health crisis

ObjectifCerner les habitudes de prescription d'opioïdes au sein des différentes sous-spécialités d'ophtalmologie et vérifier si la prescription d'opioïdes a diminué pendant la crise de santé publique. NatureÉtude de cohorte rétrospective. ParticipantsOphtalmologistes qui prescrivent au moins 11 médicaments de la section D du programme de remboursement des médicaments délivrés sur ordonnance du régime d'assurance-maladie américain (Medicare). MéthodesOn a utilisé les données publiques de Medicare compilées d'après les réclamations pour 2016, 2017 et 2018. Le statut d'associé (fellowship) a été déduit en fonction de l'appartenance à une association de sous-spécialité ou d'après les codes de diagnostic et d'intervention en vigueur (Current Procedural Terminology). Le principal paramètre mesuré était le pourcentage de médecins de chaque sous-spécialité qui prescrivait des opioïdes. RésultatsLa base de données recensait 19 762, 19 790 et 19 840 ophtalmologistes en 2016, en 2017 et en 2018, respectivement. On a noté une baisse faible, mais significative de la proportion de médecins prescrivant des opioïdes au chapitre des soins ophtalmologiques dans leur ensemble (43,5 % vs 39,6 % vs 35,7 %; p < 0,001; φc = 0,066) et dans les sous-spécialités suivantes : rétinologie (66,5 % vs 60,7 % vs 54,5 %; p < 0,001; φc = 0,101), troubles de la cornée (82,8 % vs 83,9 % vs 77,2 %; p = 0,03; φc = 0,076) et glaucome (53,4 % vs 46,4 % vs 42,0 %; p < 0,001; φc = 0,094). Les taux de prescription d'opioïdes étaient les plus élevés dans les sous-spécialités de l'oculoplastie (86 %–88,8 %), des troubles de la cornée (77,2 %–82,8 %), de la rétinologie (54,5 %–66,5 %) et de l'ophtalmologie pédiatrique (51,5 %–57,9 %). Les taux les plus faibles ont été relevés pour l'ophtalmologie dans son ensemble, le glaucome et l'uvéite. Le nombre médian de réclamations pour la prescription d'opioïdes n'a pas varié de façon notable parmi les médecins qui ont soumis plus de 10 de ces réclamations. Dans l'ensemble des sous-spécialités, les opioïdes ne représentaient qu'une faible proportion des médicaments ayant fait l'objet de réclamations. ConclusionOn n'a enregistré qu'une diminution faible, ou encore aucune variation significative, du pourcentage de médecins prescrivant des opioïdes au sein de l'ensemble des sous-spécialités pendant la période à l’étude. Nous souhaitons encourager la collaboration entre les membres des différentes sous-spécialités d'ophtalmologie afin de mettre tout en œuvre pour réduire la prescription d'opioïdes. Des études supplémentaires sont nécessaires afin de mieux cerner les habitudes de prescription d'opioïdes.

Section on Allergy and Immunology

Founded in 1948, the Section on Allergy and Immunology is dedicated to ensure that children receive the highest quality of allergy and immunology care. To accomplish its mission, the Section provides a number of educational programs, training and research programs, and continually advocates for improved allergy and immunology care and services.The Section sponsors educational programs for both pediatric generalists and subspecialists at the AAP (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition each fall and at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology annual meeting each spring. The Section’s other educational endeavors include this annual “Best Articles in Pediatric Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology” Supplement to Pediatrics, Visiting Professor Program, electronic quality improvement in practice program on asthma diagnosis and management (eQIPP) that meets the ABP maintenance of certification criteria, and a number of public education materials. The Section is also active in contributing to educational programs and resources such as AAP News, educational brochures, Clinical Reports, and many other endeavors.To support training and promote research in pediatric allergy and immunology, the Section awards travel grants to residents and training fellows to participate and present cases at the AAP NCE and provides outstanding abstract awards for training fellows and junior faculty for presentation at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting. In close collaboration with other subspecialty societies, the Section is actively involved with initiatives to improve subspecialty education, such as the American Board of Allergy and Immunology maintenance of certification requirements. Section members represent the AAP in national and government conferences and provide input on federal legislation on behalf of the AAP. For more information on all AAP allergy and immunology resources and initiatives, visit https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/committees-Councils-Sections/allergy-and-Immunology/pages/about-us.aspx.

Membership and Feedback on the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and Other Subspecialty Societies: A Survey Study of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Orthopaedic surgeons face decreased reimbursement, lower income, and increased rates of burnout. As subspecializing through fellowship training in orthopaedics becomes more and more prevalent, the value of membership to a general orthopaedic society (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons [AAOS]) warrants investigation. One hundred thirty orthopaedic surgeons were surveyed by e-mail through a 14-item anonymous survey administered through SurveyMonkey. The survey inquired about surgeon experience, practice type, fellowship training, and details regarding AAOS and subspecialty society membership. The response rate was 67%, with 94% of respondents indicating that they were members of AAOS and a subspecialty society. The most common reasons for AAOS membership were tradition (65, 74.7%), continuing medical education (46, 52.9%), maintenance of board certification (44, 50.6%), and political advocacy (40, 46.0%). The most common reasons for subspecialty society membership were continuing medical education (73, 83.9%), tradition (49, 59.8%), and political advocacy (33, 40.2%). Most surgeons in our study cohort were members of both AAOS and a subspecialty society, but the reasons for membership in each differed. Almost 80% of respondents think their subspecialty society provides all their professional needs. The orthopaedic societies need to continue to evolve to provide value to their members to succeed in the future.

How do internal medicine subspecialty societies support clinician-educator careers? A qualitative exploratory study

BackgroundInternal Medicine (IM) subspecialty professional societies can provide valuable community, recognition, resources, and leadership opportunities that promote career success. Historically, this support focused on clinical and research dimensions of academic careers, but educational dimensions have gained more attention recently. This study explores how IM subspecialty professional societies support their clinician-educator members.MethodsUsing a qualitative study with two phases, the authors collected information from each IM subspecialty society’s website about support for medical education. Using information from the first phase, we developed an interview guide for subspecialty society leaders. We used inductive thematic analysis to analyze interview transcripts.ResultsWebsite analysis identified various mechanisms used by several IM subspecialty societies to promote medical education. These included websites focused on medical education, dedicated medical education poster/abstract sessions at annual meetings, and strategies to promote networking among clinician-educators. Interviews with eight subspecialty society leaders about the professional societies’ roles with respect to medical education yielded four main themes: [1] varying conceptions of “medical education” in relation to the society [2] strategies to advance medical education at the society level [3] barriers to recognizing medical education [4] benefits of clinician-educators to the societies. Integrating these themes, we describe recommended strategies for professional societies to better serve clinician-educators. ConclusionsWe explore how IM subspecialty societies attend to a growing constituency of clinician-educators, with increasing recognition and support of the career path but persistent barriers to its formalization. These conversations shed light on opportunities for professional subspecialty societies to better serve the needs of their clinician-educator members while also enabling these members to make positive contributions in return.

Do Women Have a Seat at the Table: Trends in Female Representation Among the Board of Directors in American Urological Association Subspecialty Societies.

IntroductionAlthough women remain vastly underrepresented in urology, the proportion of female urology residents and practicing urologists has steadily increased over the last four decades. However, it remains critical to evaluate the representation of females in the pipeline when examining trainees and practicing urologists. As it pertains to leadership positions, the gender distribution among the board of directors (BOD) and committee chairs in the American Urological Association (AUA) subspecialties has not been studied to date. Therefore, we plan to analyze the proportion of females among the BOD and committee chairs in different subspecialty societies recognized by the AUA over time.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional observational study, quantitatively comparing the composition of gender in BOD and Committee Chair members belonging to different AUA-recognized subspecialty societies from 2014 to 2020. The websites for each subspecialty society were searched and contacted.ResultsWe evaluated BODs from 10 AUA subspecialty societies and committee chair members from 6 AUA subspecialty societies. From 2014 to 2020, the total proportion of female BOD amongst all AUA sub-specialty societies did not change significantly, with a small increase from 10.6% (n = 29) to 13.5% (n = 36). However, female representation among committee chair members significantly increased from 9.8% (n = 20) to 19.2% (n = 44; p = 0.006), along with the total number of women in urology, from 897 (8.9%) to 1,375 (10.3%). Increases in female representation were seen in the Society for the Study of Male Reproduction (SSMR) from 0% to 9% and in the Indian American Urological Association (IAUA) from 4% to 13%. Of note, there were no elected female board members in the Society of Urologic Oncology (SUO) or the Urologic Society for Transplantation and Renal Surgery (USTRS) from 2014 to 2020.ConclusionFemales remain a minority in leadership positions at AUA sub-specialty societies despite increased female representation in recent years. Future efforts should promote the advancement of women to positions of leadership to reflect the changing landscape of the urology workforce and surgical specialties.

Rationale for Expanding the Use of Low-Dose Aspirin for Primary Cardiovascular Prevention during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has decreased life-expectancy in the United States in 2021, causing over one million deaths especially in elderly persons with medical co-morbidities. While now waning, this epidemic continues to cause more than 500 fatalities per week mostly in individuals over70 years of age who are unvaccinated. Since viral epidemics have been shown to increase mortality due to atherosclerotic coronary heart disease and low-dose aspirin has been shown to reduce first myocardial infarctions by 44%, we recommend consideration of expanding the use of aspirin for primary cardiovascular prevention to reduce the cardiac morbidity and excess mortality associated with COVID-19 infections. Such aspirin use may be seen as especially appropriate for vulnerable elderly persons who qualify for treatment with Paxlovid (ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir) but are currently excluded for such in primary prevention guidelines of subspecialty societies. The rationale for this approach is further supported by recent proof of concept that vaccination, an alternative intervention for primary cardiovascular prevention, reduces the excess mortality associated with COVID-19 infection. Can greater use of aspirin for primary cardiovascular prevention mitigate the excess cardiac mortality associated with COVID-19 as shown with prior viral epidemics 1-3? Recommendations from the 2019 ACC/AHA and 2021 ESC guidelines currently advise limited aspirin use for primary prevention except in persons aged 40 to 59 years with elevated ASCVD risk scores (10-year risk ≥10%) and for those aged 60 to 69 years only with risk ≥20% in the context of no excess risk of bleeding (Figure 1) 4,5. These guidelines have been endorsed by the United States Preventive Services Task Force, which acknowledge that low-dose aspirin in the primary prevention setting reduces the risk of major atherosclerotic cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke offset by an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding 7,8. Currently endorsed guidelines specifically recommend against aspirin use in individuals at age 70 and beyond.

Representation of Women in Ophthalmology Subspecialty Societies over 20 Years

The representation of women has increased over the last 20 years among ophthalmology subspecialty society new membership, award winners, and executive committee membership; however, proportional representation is still lacking at most benchmarks.

A collaborative approach intended to reduce the duration of short term urinary catheters in adult patients at a tertiary care medical center also significantly reduced the duration of hospitalization

BackgroundUrinary tract infections are the leading cause of nosocomial infections in the United States. The major contributing factor is the placement of indwelling urinary catheters. MethodsFollowing a chart review of adult patients hospitalized at a tertiary care medical center who required the use of a short-term (≤ 2 weeks) indwelling urinary catheter, a collaborative effort was initiated by an Infectious Diseases physician to develop protocols focused on the clinical service involved for the expeditious removal of short-term indwelling urinary catheters. The protocols relied in part on the standards of practice by pertinent medical/surgical subspecialty societies. Usage of urinary catheters and duration of hospitalization following implementation of the protocols was assessed. ResultsBased on a multivariate analysis controlling for demographic variables, comorbidities, medical vs surgical service, and indication for the urinary catheterization, the median duration of catheterization was significantly reduced from 6.7 days to 3.6 days after the protocols were initiated (P < .001), and the median duration of hospitalization was significantly reduced from 9.5 days to 5.9 days (P < .001). No patient had to have the urinary catheter reinserted. ConclusionsDevelopment of collaborative protocols for the removal of short-term indwelling urinary catheters significantly reduced both the duration of catheterization and the duration of hospitalization.

Section on Allergy and Immunology

Founded in 1948, the Section on Allergy and Immunology is dedicated to ensure that children receive the highest quality of allergy and immunology care. To accomplish its mission, the Section provides a number of educational programs, training and research programs, and continually advocates for improved allergy and immunology care and services.The Section sponsors educational programs for both pediatric generalists and subspecialists at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition each fall and at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology annual meeting each spring. The Section’s other educational endeavors include this annual “Best Articles in Pediatric Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology” Supplement to Pediatrics, Visiting Professor Program, electronic quality improvement in practice program on asthma diagnosis and management that meets the American Board of Pediatrics maintenance of certification criteria, and a number of public education materials. The Section is also active in contributing to educational programs and resources such as AAP News, educational brochures, Clinical Reports, and many other endeavors.To support training and promote research in pediatric allergy and immunology, the Section awards travel grants to residents and training fellows to participate and present cases at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition and provides outstanding abstract awards for training fellows and junior faculty for presentation at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Annual Meeting. In close collaboration with other subspecialty societies, the Section is actively involved with initiatives to improve subspecialty education, such as the American Board of Allergy and Immunology maintenance of certification requirements. Section members represent the AAP in national and government conferences and provide input on federal legislation on behalf of the AAP. For more information on all AAP allergy and immunology resources and initiatives, visit https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/committees- Councils-Sections/allergy-and-Immunology/pages/about- us.aspx.