Cardiac management by pediatricians versus pediatric cardiologists in an inpatient academic center.
BACKGROUND
Limited resources, managed care, and advances in technology have led to the suggestion that physicians other than cardiologists be further empowered to perform the initial cardiac evaluation in children with suspected heart disease. To study this strategy, we compared the management decisions of pediatricians with the recommendations of pediatric cardiologists who reviewed the records of the same patients.


METHODS
Sixty-nine patients aged <23 years with suspected heart disease were referred by pediatricians (n = 40) on the inpatient service at Boston Medical Center for either a cardiology consultation or echocardiography. Two pediatric cardiologists who were blinded to the management decisions and clinical outcomes later reviewed the patient records. Recommendations between the 2 pediatric cardiologist reviewers and the managing pediatricians were compared.


RESULTS
Pediatricians scheduled significantly fewer cardiology follow-up visits, instituted cardiac medications significantly less often, arranged significantly fewer family meetings to review cardiac findings, and ordered significantly fewer additional cardiac procedures than the pediatric cardiologists. This result was consistent regardless of whether the pediatrician's management decisions were made on the basis of the echocardiogram results only or on the recommendations of a cardiology consultant. The 2 pediatric cardiologist reviewers agreed more often with each other than either did with the managing pediatricians.


CONCLUSIONS
Pediatricians have different management styles than pediatric cardiologists for patients with suspected cardiac disease. The effect of these differences on outcome is unknown, and further investigation is warranted.
Benun
Jacques
J
Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Mass, USA.
Fisher
Stacy D
SD
Orav
E John
EJ
Schwartz
Marcy L
ML
Exil
Vernat
V
Messere
Christine
C
Lipshultz
Steven E
SE
D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002309:Cardiology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D006337:Heart Murmurs / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010819:Physician's Role; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data