TRENDS / FEATURE Strategies for six prevalent issues facing children's hospitals. W ith a shared purpose of improving child health, childrenʼs hospitals and health systems regularly come together to discuss experiences, solve problems, and stay current on the top issues impacting pediatric health care. Within their conversations in 2024, common threads have emerged. These trending topics are top-of-mind as hospitals seek to improve care and operations. Perennial issues like CLABSIs continue to challenge hospitals, and theyʼre approaching these infections from different vantage points and with new tools. Emerging technology like AI offers opportunities to boost efficiency and improve care, and hospitals are eager to discover how to make the most of it. Recent trends in inpatient and ED demographics are causing increased concern with violence against staff. The continuing mental health crisis has urged hospitals to screen for mental health conditions in non-traditional settings. A focus on making care more equitable has spurred new kinds of metrics and data analysis to accurately understand the populations hospitals serve. See how children's hospitals are addressing these topics common among CHA members and the promising results so far. Want to join the discussions? Sign up today at childrenshospitals. org/communities. CHILDREN'S HOSPITALS TODAY Summer 2024 17https://www.childrenshospitals.org/communities https://www.childrenshospitals.org/communities