Current State of Fetal Heart Disease Counseling and Training: Room for Improvement? : Endorsed by the Fetal Heart Society

Authors

Jenna A. Keelan, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA. jenna.keelan@UTSouthwestern.edu.
Anita J. Moon Grady, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Bhawna Arya, Division of Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Seattle Children's Hospital and University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA.
Mary T. Donofrio, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's National Hospital, George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA.
David N. Schidlow, Department of Cardiology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
Theresa A. Tacy, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
Kenan W. Stern, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Miwa K. Geiger, Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

4-5-2022

Journal

Pediatric cardiology

DOI

10.1007/s00246-022-02882-4

Keywords

Fellowship education; Fetal counseling; Fetal echocardiography

Abstract

We sought to describe the fellowship experiences and current practice habits of pediatric cardiologists who counsel patients with fetal heart disease (FHD) and to identify fellowship experiences related to FHD counseling perceived as valuable by respondents as well as opportunities for improvement. A cross-sectional survey of attending pediatric cardiologists who care for patients with FHD was performed. The respondents' demographics, fellowship experiences related to FHD counseling, reflections on fellowship training, and current practice habits were collected. The Fetal Heart Society endorsed this survey. There were 164 survey responses. 56% of respondents did not have 4th-year subspecialty training in fetal cardiology. Observing and performing FHD counseling were the most commonly used methods of training, with the highest perceived effectiveness. The number of counseling sessions observed and performed correlated moderately with confidence in FHD counseling skills at fellowship graduation. Extracardiac pathology and neurodevelopment were the least frequently addressed topics in fellowship training and in current practice. Fewer than 50% of respondents received formal education and feedback in counseling techniques during fellowship training. A significant proportion of practicing pediatric cardiologists provide FHD counseling with only standard categorical training. This highlights the potential importance of expanding FHD counseling education into categorical fellowship curricula. We suggest increasing opportunities for fellows to perform FHD counseling and receive feedback as this is a valued and beneficial experience during training. A formalized curriculum including extracardiac pathology and neurodevelopment and the use of evidence-based workshops in counseling techniques may address identified gaps in fellowship education.

APA Citation

Keelan, Jenna A.; Moon Grady, Anita J.; Arya, Bhawna; Donofrio, Mary T.; Schidlow, David N.; Tacy, Theresa A.; Stern, Kenan W.; and Geiger, Miwa K., "Current State of Fetal Heart Disease Counseling and Training: Room for Improvement? : Endorsed by the Fetal Heart Society" (2022). GW Authored Works. Paper 826.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/826

Department

Pediatrics