I have spent a lot of time as a pediatrician in the emergency department and a brief period of time rotating through the local poison center. While there, I witnessed firsthand the unfortunate perils facing children who accidentally ingest toxins. The biggest takeaway I learned from these experiences is that all too often, these encounters(...)
About Sylvia Owusu-Ansah
Sylvia Owusu-Ansah is a pediatrician who emergently takes care of pediatric patients and would like to be a philanthropist when she grows up.
Posts by Sylvia Owusu-Ansah:
Locally Combating the Childhood Obesity Epidemic
May 6, 2015 | posted by Sylvia Owusu-Ansah | A Day in the Life |
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and quadrupled in adolescents over the last 30 years. In 2012, alone more than one-third of all children and adolescents were considered overweight or obese. As health professionals, we are aware that patterns of daily behavior begin in(...)
Is Convenience Harming Our Children?
Apr 10, 2015 | posted by Sylvia Owusu-Ansah | A Day in the Life |
I recently took care of a young infant who was found to have eaten a single-use detergent sac, otherwise known as a laundry pod. The child’s mom called 911 because of vomiting, but by the time the paramedics brought the patient to the emergency department, he was barely conscious, breathing hard and fast, intermittently gasping(...)
Pediatric Mental Illness Crisis: Barriers to Pediatric Mental Health Services in Our Current EMS System
Mar 13, 2015 | posted by Sylvia Owusu-Ansah | A Day in the Life |
Imagine you are a pediatrician working in an emergency department when a young female patient who was recently diagnosed as bipolar is brought in by her mother. She is visibly angry upon arrival, and her mother looks tired and distressed. When you enter the room, the young girl begins the interaction with foul language. She(...)