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- Published on: 8 March 2023
- Published on: 8 March 2023Will there be sufficient person-power for this growing population?
Great work Nicki. I have long argued the need for more paediatric respirologists to service this expanding population. There is a shortage of pediatric pulmonologists [sic] in the USA and most in practice are graying. Now we have data to support this argument. Of greater concern is the (lack of) availability of home nursing support, placing tremendous stress on family. In part due to the “mass resignation” arising during and after the pandemic, there is critical shortage of trained personnel to care for such children in their homes. We have been forced to start weaning patients from mechanical ventilatory support – chiefly those with chronic lung disease of prematurity – while they are still hospitalized before initial NICU discharge. Indeed, we may have our first decannulation of one such child in the next few months! Thank you for undertaking this study and reporting the trend we all foresaw.
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None declared.