“Disability Competent Care in Pediatric Milestones” Published by PM&R Teams in JAMA Pediatrics

Amy J. Houtrow, MD, PhD, MPH, Angela M. Garcia, MD, and Jason Edinger, DO, UPMC Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation – along with Unoma Akamagwuna, MD, Baylor College of Medicine – published “Disability Competent Care in Pediatric Milestones” in JAMA Pediatrics.

In the study, the team examines how disability is addressed in the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s (ACGME’s) Milestones 2.0 for pediatric primary specialties, subspecialties, and combined specialties.

They hypothesized that child neurology, developmental and behavioral pediatrics (DBP), neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDD), pediatric rehabilitation medicine (PRM), and combined pediatrics and physical medicine and rehabilitation (pediatrics/PM&R) would each have multiple disability-related milestones in their subcompetencies.

After examining 36 primary, sub-, and combined specialties, the team discovered very few disability-related milestones. The lack of congruence between the ACGME milestones and expected knowledge for board certification is an area of concern, especially since both disciplines care for children with disabilities extensively.

The team concluded that, given the call for improved disability education in medical training, the pediatric specialties, subspecialties, and combined specialties should adopt milestones that assess the ability of next-generation physicians to deliver competent care for children with disabilities that is congruent with recommended entrustable professional activities.

View the entire study, including a table outlining the disability-related milestones found.