Issue of Specialist Registration for Intensive and Critical Care in Pediatric Cardiology in Japan

Abstract

Background: Role of specialist of pediatric critical care is signi cant, especially for management of congenital heart diseases because most critical cardiac patients have been cared by pediatric cardiologists or cardiovascular surgeons in Japan. Objects: To clarify future issues in the eld of critical care in pediatric cardiology by investigating current situation of board certi cation and medical insurance in Japan. Methods: In this study, we investigated relationship between board certi cation and situation of training centers for the board-certi ed intensivist with pediatric cardiologists, pediatric cardiac surgeons and pediatricians in Japan from databases of o cial registration in the website. Results: Only 0.6% of board-certi ed pediatricians and 1.1% of board-certi ed pediatric cardiologists obtained board-certi ed intensivist. Certi cation of training center is 56% in all pediatric cardiac hospitals and their training systems is not appropriate for pediatricians because of lack of pediatric intensive care units especially in most university hospitals or general hospitals. ere is a gap between cities and regional area in the number of board-certi ed pediatricians with board certi ed intensivists. Conclusions: Signi cant gaps of board certi cation and medical insurance are recognized among regional areas in Japan requiring improvement of system and current situation in the eld of critical care of pediatric cardiology.