In a recently released article in Pediatrics you will find a superb Monthly Feature article, “Closing the Disclosure Gap: Medical Errors in Pediatrics”, by trainee authors Drs. Matthew Lin and Hannah Famiglietti (10.1542/peds.2019-0221). This succinct, thoughtful, and well-referenced article opens the door to an important issue and to a potential pediatric residency training gap. Drs. Lin and Famiglietti note that it is widely recommended by professional organizations that physicians disclose medical errors to families, and in fact parents are clear that they want to be informed, yet barely half of surveyed physicians would do so. The authors propose that training, with a formal curriculum that includes simulation and partnership with parents, may serve as a path forward to achieving the recommended appropriate and timely disclosures. Including parents has other benefits also, as the authors point out. Drs. Lin and Famiglietti’s essay is a beautiful example of how much trainee authors bring to urgent and important discussions in medicine.
The Section on Pediatric Trainees (SOPT) has been contributing to the Monthly Features section of Pediatrics since January 2015. For those unfamiliar, Monthly Features rotates between 4 interest areas, each supervised and guided by its own hands-on editor or editorial group. These are: history of pediatrics (Dr. Jeff Baker), global health issues (Dr. Jay Berkelhamer), medical student education (currently Dr. Robert Dudas and colleagues of the Council on Medical Student Education in Pediatrics-COMSEP), and most relevant here, trainee issues and views (current Editor Dr. Hannah Rosenblum, Deputy Editor Dr. Natalie Lanocha, and Past Editor Dr. Rachel Elkin, all of the AAP SOPT). SOPT Editors serve a 3-year term, and their own Editorial Board solicits and reviews articles from fellow trainees. The Editors are selected via a trainee-led competitive process, and each serves one year as Deputy Editor, then Editor and finally Past Editor. The time commitment is meaningful, and the personal energy demands are high. Editors provide “developmental editing” for submissions, aiming to not only provide specific guidance to trainees in pursuit of publication, but also personal encouragement and support for writing as a way to “find one’s voice” during the challenges of medical training. Manuscripts may go through multiple revisions, and each author receives constructive feedback and encouragement regardless of ultimate disposition. If a submission is rejected, the Editors suggest alternate suitable venues for the written work.
If you work with trainees in any capacity, I encourage you to prompt consideration of a submission, either by mentoring or even by co-authoring an article. The first author must be a trainee, and the trainee voice must be clear, but other authors may be included. The Author Guidelines are on the AAP News & Journals Gateway. Once you read the SOPT Monthly Feature articles, I believe you will feel as inspired and hopeful about the future of Pediatrics as these amazing trainees do who author these timely and topical thought pieces.
