title: Creating a working group for prenatal diagnosis and management as a venue to facilitate neurosurgery health care delivery.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To facilitate the communication and engagement with the parents of a fetus with a neurosurgical condition, as well as subsequent care of the newborn, the Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery of the University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville created a multidisciplinary working group.
  
  
  METHODS
  The University of Florida Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery performed a staged process to develop a multidisciplinary prenatal working group. Phase I: establish communications with perinatology, neonatology and radiology. Phase II: initiate clinical working sessions with neurosurgery, neonatology, perinatology, radiology. Phase III: the working sessions were progressively expanded to include other specialties of interest.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This report addresses the development and the subsequent monthly meetings that were held between March 2004 and October 2008. There were a total of 246 pregnancies in which a significant fetal condition was present. Of these, 53 generated neurosurgical consultations on the basis of fetal imaging (ultrasound and/or MRI). Those that required postnatal surgery were able to have timely coordinated scheduled delivery and subsequent neurosurgical procedures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  If neurosurgeons do not have access to a multidisciplinary prenatal working group, they may take the lead and facilitate the establishment of such a team approach. This can lead to better prenatal communications with the parents/families, coordination of delivery and timely postnatal neurosurgical management.
authors: Division of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University of Florida College of Medicine Jacksonville, Lucy Gooding Pediatric Neurosurgery Center at Wolfson Children's Hospital, Jacksonville, FL 32207, USA. hector.james @ jax.ufl.edu
authors: Hector E
authors: HE
authors: James
authors: Teresa L
authors: TL
authors: MacGregor
authors: Philipp R
authors: PR
authors: Aldana
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003142:Communication; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009359:Neonatology / Q000458:organization & administration; D009493:Neurosurgery / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000458:organization & administration; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration