How to Use This Course
The goal of Case Studies in Environmental Medicine (CSEM) is to increase the primary care provider’s knowledge of hazardous substances in the environment and to help in evaluation and treating of potentially exposed patients.
This CSEM focuses on Principles of Pediatric Environmental Health and serves as a companion piece to the Pediatric Exposure History CSEM. This Case Study also serves to explicate further some of the background principles that form the bases for the pediatric environmental medicine practices found in the Pediatric Exposure History CSEM.
Two versions of the Principles of Pediatric Environmental Health CSEM are available.
- The HTML version https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/csem/pediatric-environmental-health/cover-page.html0 provides content through the Internet.
- The downloadable PDF [PDF – 724 KB] version provides content in an electronic, printable format, especially for those who may lack adequate Internet service.
- The HTML version offers interactive exercises and prescriptive feedback to the user.
To make the most effective use of this course.
- Take the Initial Check to assess your current knowledge about principles of pediatric environmental health.
- Read the title, learning objectives, text, and key points in each section.
- Complete the progress check exercises at the end of each section and check your answers.
- Complete and submit your assessment and posttest response online if you wish to obtain continuing education credit. Continuing education certificates can be printed immediately upon completion.
This course is designed to help you learn efficiently. Topics are clearly labeled so that you can skip sections or quickly scan sections you are already familiar with. This labeling will also allow you to use this training material as a handy reference. To help you identify and absorb important content quickly, each section is structured as follows:
| Section Element | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Title | Serves as a “focus question” that you should be able to answer after completing the section |
| Learning Objectives | Describes specific content addressed in each section and focuses your attention on important points |
| Text | Provides the information you need to answer the focus question(s) and achieve the learning objectives |
| Key Points | Highlights important issues and helps you review |
| Progress Check | Enables you to test yourself to determine whether you have mastered the learning objectives |
| Answers | Provide feedback to ensure you understand the content and can locate information in the text |
On completion of the Principles of Pediatric Environmental Health CSEM, you will be able to
| Content Area | Objectives |
|---|---|
| Susceptibility of children to the adverse effects of environmental toxicants |
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| How does toxic exposure cause children’s disease? |
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| What are common sources of toxicants to which children can be exposed? |
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| What are factors affecting children’s susceptibility to toxicants? |
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| Why does a child’s age and developmental stage affect physiologic susceptibility to toxicants? |
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| How can parents’ preconception exposures and in utero exposures affect a child? |
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| How are newborns, infants and toddlers exposed to and affected by toxicants? |
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| What are special considerations regarding toxic exposures to young and school-age children and adolescents? |
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The Principles of Pediatric Environmental Health Case Study describes the basic science behind the newly emerging discipline of Pediatric Environmental Health. This publication serves as a companion document to the case study, “Taking a Pediatric Exposure History”.