2017•PEDIATRICSRequires access
Pediatric Hospital Medicine: A Proposed New Subspecialty
Douglas J. Barrett, Gail A. McGuinness, Christopher A. Cunha, S. Jean Emans, William T. Gerson, Mary Fran Hazinski, George Lister, Karen F. Murray, Joseph W. St. Geme, Patricia Whitley-Williams
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Abstract
Over the past 20 years, hospitalists have emerged as a distinct group of pediatric practitioners. In August of 2014, the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) received a petition to consider recommending that pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) be recognized as a distinct new subspecialty. PHM as a formal subspecialty raises important considerations related to: (1) quality, cost, and access to pediatric health care; (2) current pediatric residency training; (3) the evolving body of knowledge in pediatrics; and (4) the impact on both primary care generalists and existing subspecialists. After a comprehensive and iterative review process, the ABP recommended that the American Board of Medical Specialties approve PHM as a new subspecialty. This article describes the broad array of challenges and certain unique opportunities that were considered by the ABP in supporting PHM as a new pediatric subspecialty.