We are featuring two special articles this week that take a thought-provoking look at how we can better unite health, education, fiscal, and welfare bodies and better invest in improving the quality and long-term outcomes for children. This is particularly true in underserved areas of the world where the need for an immediate policy may win a battle but lose a war by moving deploying resources from one pot into another, rather than looking at how the pots of resources dictated by various health policies can be united. Shonkoff et al. (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-0366) share a unique innovative framework for child survival and enhanced development in a special article that we will read not just as pediatricians, but as citizens of the world who care about the next generation and how they can be successful.
In another special article, Modi et al. (doi: 10.1542/peds.2011-1635) focus on how we can do better from a policy standpoint to shape programs and interventions to improve the role of patient self-management in maximizing treatment and clinical outcomes while reducing unnecessary health care costs. Both of these articles represent innovative thoughts and ideas, which are essential if we are going to remedy the health care crisis we face nationally and internationally.
You’ll find both of these articles of import and interest, and we welcome your comments via e-letters or on our Facebook page.
