The role of the emergency physician in providing pediatric emergency care--a membership survey.

A survey of the membership of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) was undertaken to identify members with special interest or expertise in pediatric emergency medicine. A questionnaire was published in the August 1988 issue of ACEP News, which was distributed to 12,079 members. One hundred seventy-one responses were returned, revealing a subset of the membership (1.42%) with a special interest or expertise in pediatric emergency care. This group was characterized as to type of residency training, board certification (completed or planned), practice location, and percentage of practice composed of children. Opinions were sought regarding subspecialty certification, continuing medical education needs, and quality and quantity of pediatric emergency medical training in pediatric and emergency medicine residency programs. More than 200 physicians were identified as resources in pediatric emergency medicine for ACEP. The majority of the respondents favored subspecialty board certification. Continuing education needs are generally being met, but there is a need for better geographical distribution of courses. Minifellowships and more pediatric rotations for emergency medicine residents were suggested.