Training of pediatricians in care of physical disabilities in children with special health needs: Results of a two-state survey of practicing pediatricians and national resident training programs

Objective. One goal of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Future of Pediatric Education II Project is to establish guidelines in training physicians to care for children with special health care needs (CWSN). Assessment of current practices in prescribing therapies and devices is necessary to meet this goal. Although much has been written about CWSN, there is a paucity of literature describing pediatricians' preparedness in prescribing such therapies and devices to children with physical disabilities. In an effort to assess physician preparedness, we surveyed pediatric residents nationwide and practicing pediatricians from 2 states, 1 urban and 1 rural. Methods. A questionnaire aimed at identifying areas of concern regarding preparedness of physicians in practice and in training was prepared and mailed to prospective participants in Ohio and Mississippi. After follow-up mailings to nonresponders, similar to 59% responded. Summary statistics were reported as proportions with 95% confidence intervals. Results. Among those polled, >70% reported no training in prescribing certain durable medical equipment and over 50% reported no training in prescribing certain therapies. In addition, at least 20% reported no training in treating some of the more common childhood physical disabilities. Nearly three fourths of the respondents indicated that they did not believe that they were adequately prepared to take an active role in prescribing therapies and durable medical equipment. Fewer respondents believed that they should be the sole providers of these therapies and durable medical equipment. Conclusions. The results of the survey indicate a lack of specific training and physician confidence in prescribing therapies and devices to CWSN, establishing the necessity of expanding training programs to better ensure quality health care for special needs children. Although additional ongoing research is necessary to fully evaluate the preparedness of physicians in caring for CWSN, this survey does help to identify areas of physician training that require improvement to provide quality health care for CWSN.