Pediatric Neurohospitalist Special Interest Group (SIG) Meeting

Administrator: Mahendra Moharir & Juan Piantino

One behalf of the founding members of the Pediatric Neurohospitalist Steering Committee:
Drs. Nicholas Abend, Melissa Hutchinson, Ricka Messer, Mahendranath Moharir, Kendall Nash,
Jamie Palaganas, Juan Piantino, Craig Press, Elizabeth Wells.

Aims of The Pediatric Neurohospitalist Steering Committee:
Our group aims to improve hospital-based equitable pediatric neurologic care by expanding,
implementing, and disseminating knowledge, while fostering a sustainable interdisciplinary
work force.

Meeting Chairs:
Dr. Mahendra Moharir
Interim Head and Medical Director
Division Of Neurology, Dept of Pediatrics
The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada
Associate Professor, University of Toronto, Canada

Dr. Juan Piantino
Pediatric Critical Care and Neurotrauma Recovery Program
Division of Pediatric Neurology, Department of Pediatrics
Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

Background: Acute care of pediatric patients with neurologic disease is challenging in this emerging era of
increasingly complex patient populations that stretch care delivery models from a resource and
financial perspective. The optimal model of care for hospitalized children with acute neurologic
disorders is unclear. There is little debate, however, that the complexity of caring for this
population including time-sensitive diagnostic procedures and treatments will continue to
increase. Hospitals will continue to face economic pressures. Pediatric neurology clinics will
continue to have long wait times given the shortage of pediatric neurologists. Quality and
safety benchmarks will eventually emerge that may force hospitals/institutions to meet
standards of care. Thus, there appears to be a growing need for pediatric neurologists who could be
focused on and dedicated to providing specialized inpatient care for hospitalized children with complex
neurological disorders (pediatric neurohospitalists). Hence, further exploration of a pediatric
neurohospitalist model of care is warranted as a solution to meet the growing pressures related
to delivery of high-quality pediatric inpatient neurologic care.

Objectives of SIG:

1. To provide a high-level overview of the work done to date by the Pediatric Neurohospitalist Steering Committee.
2. To introduce the emerging concept of “pediatric inpatient neurology specialist” (the pediatric neurohospitalist)
3. To discuss the current and future realities/challenges of acute inpatient pediatric neurology in this era of care complexity and cost prohibitive novel therapies in child neurology
4. To explore novel ideas to leverage existing global research collaborations and clinical networks through the International Child Neurology Association to develop new initiatives and cross institutional relationships to improve the care of pediatric patients with acute neurologic disease.