Responding to the workforce crisis: consensus recommendations from the Second Workforce Summit of the American Society of Pediatric Nephrology.

IMPORTANCE: Pediatric patients with complex medical problems benefit from pediatric sub-specialty care; however, a significant proportion of children live greater than 80 mi. away from pediatric sub-specialty care. OBJECTIVE: To identify current knowledge gaps and outline concrete next steps to make progress on issues that have persistently challenged the pediatric nephrology workforce. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Workforce Summit 2.0 employed the round table format and methodology for consensus building using adapted Delphi principles. Content domains were identified via input from the ASPN Workforce Committee, the ASPN's 2023 Strategic Plan survey, the ASPN's Pediatric Nephrology Division Directors survey, and ongoing feedback from ASPN members. Working groups met prior to the Summit to conduct an organized literature review and establish key questions to be addressed. The Summit was held in-person in November 2023. During the Summit, work groups presented their preliminary findings, and the at-large group developed the key action statements and future directions. FINDINGS: A holistic appraisal of the effort required to cover inpatient and outpatient sub-specialty care will help define faculty effort and time distribution. Most pediatric nephrologists practice in academic settings, so work beyond clinical care including education, research, advocacy, and administrative/service tasks may form a substantial amount of a faculty member's time and effort. An academic relative value unit (RVU) may assist in creating a more inclusive assessment of their contributions to their academic practice. Pediatric sub-specialties, such as nephrology, contribute to the clinical mission and care of their institutions beyond their direct billable RVUs. Advocacy throughout the field of pediatrics is necessary in order for reimbursement of pediatric sub-specialist care to accurately reflect the time and effort required to address complex care needs. Flexible, individualized training pathways may improve recruitment into sub-specialty fields such as nephrology. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The workforce crisis facing the pediatric nephrology field is echoed throughout many pediatric sub-specialties. Efforts to improve recruitment, retention, and reimbursement are necessary to improve the care delivered to pediatric patients.

Longitudinal changes of health-related quality of life in childhood chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Few longitudinal studies have evaluated the impact of chronic kidney disease (CKD) duration on health-related quality of life (HRQOL). The study's aim was to determine how HRQOL changes over time in childhood CKD. METHODS: Study participants were children in the chronic kidney disease in children (CKiD) cohort who completed the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL) on three or more occasions over the course of two or more years. Generalized gamma (GG) mixed-effects models were applied to assess the effect of CKD duration on HRQOL while controlling for selected covariates. RESULTS: A total of 692 children (median age = 11.2) with a median of 8.3 years duration of CKD were evaluated. All subjects had a GFR greater than 15 ml/min/1.73 m2. GG models with child self-report PedsQL data indicated that longer CKD duration was associated with improved total HRQOL and the 4 domains of HRQOL. GG models with parent-proxy PedsQL data indicated that longer duration was associated with better emotional but worse school HRQOL. Increasing trajectories of child self-report HRQOL were observed in the majority of subjects, while parents less frequently reported increasing trajectories of HRQOL. There was no significant relationship between total HRQOL and time-varying GFR. CONCLUSIONS: Longer duration of the disease is associated with improved HRQOL on child self-report scales; however, parent-proxy results were less likely to demonstrate any significant change over time. This divergence could be due to greater optimism and accommodation of CKD in children. Clinicians can use these data to better understand the needs of pediatric CKD patients. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

A longitudinal analysis of the effect of anemia on executive functions in children with mild to moderate chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: Children with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are at risk for cognitive dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between executive functions (EF), anemia, and iron deficiency. METHODS: A total of 688 children > 6 years of age enrolled in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) study who underwent evaluation for EF were included. Hemoglobin (Hgb) was characterized as low (1st-5th percentile) or very low (< 1st percentile) compared to normative values for age, sex, and race irrespective of erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA) usage. Longitudinal analysis was conducted using consecutive visit pairs, with anemia status defined as new onset, resolved, or persistent. Linear mixed models with random intercept were used and adjusted for key covariates. RESULTS: Anemia was present in 41% of children, and median Hgb was 11.8 gm/dl. New onset anemia was associated with lower digit span total score (- 0.75, 95% CI - 1.36, - 0.15, p = 0.01). Persistent anemia was associated with lower scores on color-word inhibition/switching (ß = - 0.98; 95% CI - 1.78, - 0.18, p = 0.02). Errors of omission were significantly higher (worse) in those with persistent anemia (ß = 2.67, 95% CI 0.18, 5.17, p = 0.04). Very low Hgb levels were significantly associated with lower color-word inhibition/switching scores (ß = - 1.33, 95% CI - 2.16, - 0.51; p = 0.002). Anemia and low GFR were associated with lower category fluency scores compared to non-anemic subjects with higher GFR (ß = - 1.09, 95% CI - 2.09, - 0.10, p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: The presence of anemia, in addition to its severity and duration in children with CKD, is associated with poorer scores on select measures of EF. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Overview of the findings and advances in the neurocognitive and psychosocial functioning of mild to moderate pediatric CKD: perspectives from the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) cohort study.

The Chronic Kidney Disease in Children (CKiD) prospective cohort study was designed to address the neurocognitive, growth, cardiovascular, and disease progression of children and adolescents with mild to moderate CKD. The study has had continuous funding from NIDDK for 17 years and has contributed significant advances in pediatric CKD. The goals of this educational review are threefold: (1) to provide an overview of the neurocognitive and psychosocial studies from CKiD to date; (2) to provide best practice recommendations for those working with the neurocognitive and psychosocial aspects of pediatric CKD based on CKiD findings; and (3) to help chart future goals and directives for both research and clinical practice. This collection of 22 empirical studies has produced a number of key findings for children and adolescents with mild to moderate CKD. While various studies suggest a relatively positive presentation for this population as a whole, without evidence of significant impairment or deterioration, findings do indicate the presence of neurocognitive dysfunction, emotional-behavioral difficulties, and lower quality of life for many children with CKD. These findings support the promotion of best practices that are accompanied by additional future clinical and research initiatives with this patient population.

A longitudinal analysis of the effect of anemia on health-related quality of life in children with mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate impact of anemia on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over time in a large pediatric cohort with mild-to-moderate chronic kidney disease (CKD). METHODS: Participants were enrolled in the Chronic Kidney Disease in Children Study (CKiD), a multicenter, longitudinal cohort. HRQOL was measured using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Anemia was defined as hemoglobin < 5th percentile for age, sex, and race. Two longitudinal analyses were conducted on consecutive visit pairs. Models examined effects of anemia status on both HRQOL score over time and change in HRQOL score between consecutive visits. The sample included 733 children with a median estimated GFR 54 ml/min/1.73 m2. Thirty percent of children had anemia at index visit. RESULTS: Analysis of HRQOL scores revealed the presence of anemia was associated with significantly lower overall HRQOL (ß = - 2.90 (95% CI = - 7.74, - 0.21), p = 0.04) and physical functioning (ß = - 5.72 (- 9.49, - 2.25), p = 0.001) according to children. On parent ratings, the development of anemia was associated with lower emotional functioning scores (ß = - 4.87 (- 8.72, - 0.11), p = 0.045). In the second model, children who developed anemia were rated by caregivers as having more decreased physical functioning than children who remained anemia-free (ß = - 3.30 per year (- 5.83, - 0.76), p = 0.01). Caregivers did not observe declines in their children's other PedsQL subscales in the presence of developed anemia. Children with resolved or persistence did not show improvement or decline in any aspect of HRQOL functioning relative to non-anemic subjects. CONCLUSIONS: In children with CKD, anemia has an adverse effect on HRQOL which persists over time but does not appear to be progressive.

Hypercalcemia, hyperkalemia and supraventricular tachycardia in a patient with subcutaneous fat necrosis.

BACKGROUND: Subcutaneous fat necrosis (SCFN) is a rare, self-limiting condition that has been associated with several complications including hypercalcemia. CASE PRESENTATION: We present the case of a 6-week-old male who presented to his pediatrician with a dime-sized erythematous nodule consistent with SCFN, who was also found to have supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). Laboratory findings revealed hypercalcemia and hyperkalemia. Extensive evaluation for the electrolyte disturbances revealed no other etiology. This case reinforces that SCFN should be considered in newborns with hypercalcemia of unknown etiology. Additionally, this case is the first to suggest a connection between SCFN and hyperkalemia. Electrolyte abnormalities can potentially contribute to arrhythmogenesis and may have triggered the arrhythmia in our patient. CONCLUSIONS: Our case highlights the importance of remaining vigilant in the workup of atypical rashes of the infant, which should include early assessment of serum electrolytes.