Risk and Safety Issues in Pediatrics: Outpatient XVI provides evidence-based strategies to help providers navigate challenging conversations with the people they serve. Pediatric healthcare professionals are well positioned to partner with families to support the well-being and successful development of children. To achieve this, however, they must sometimes initiate discussions about sensitive issues that can be emotionally charged for families and caregivers, such as firearm safety, unhealthy weight, and vaccination. Although pediatric providers recognize the benefits of these conversations, they cite lack of time, inadequate training, and lack of understanding about available screening tools as reasons for not routinely screening or counseling patients on these topics.
