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The Role of Neurocritical Care: A Brief Report on the Survey Results of Neurosciences and Critical Care Specialists

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Abstract

Background

Neurocritical care is a new subspecialty field in medicine that intersects with many of the neuroscience and critical care specialties, and continues to evolve in its scope of practice and practitioners. The objective of this study was to assess the perceived need for and roles of neurocritical care intensivists and neurointensive care units among physicians involved with intensive care and the neurosciences.

Methods

An online survey of physicians practicing critical care medicine, and neurology was performed during the 2008 Leapfrog initiative to formally recognize neurocritical care training.

Results

The survey closed in July 2009 and achieved a 13% response rate (980/7524 physicians surveyed). Survey respondents (mostly from North America) included 362 (41.4%) neurologists, 164 (18.8%) internists, 104 (11.9%) pediatric intensivists, 82 (9.4%) anesthesiologists, and 162 (18.5%) from other specialties. Over 70% of respondents reported that the availability of neurocritical care units staffed with neurointensivists would improve the quality of care of critically ill neurological/neurosurgical patients. Neurologists were reported as the most appropriate specialty for training in neurointensive care by 53.3%, and 57% of respondents responded positively that neurology residency programs should offer a separate training track for those interested in neurocritical care.

Conclusion

Broad level of support exists among the survey respondents (mostly neurologists and intensivists) for the establishment of neurological critical care units. Since neurology remains the predominant career path from which to draw neurointensivists, there may be a role for more comprehensive neurointensive care training within neurology residencies or an alternative training track for interested residents.

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Acknowledgment

The authors would like to thank all the study participants and all those who have helped advance neurocritical care. The authors would also like to thank the reviewers for their valuable comments which helped bring this manuscript to the present form. Dr. Romergryko Geocadin was supported in part by NIH RO1 Grant HL71568.

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Divison of Neurosciences Critical Care, Department(s) of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Anesthesia/Critical Care Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland

    Manjunath Markandaya, Katherine P. Thomas, Paul A. Nyquist, Marek Mirski, Romergryko Geocadin & Wendy C. Ziai

  2. Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Cerebrovascular Center, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue/S80, Cleveland, OH, 44195, USA

    Manjunath Markandaya

  3. R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore, Maryland

    Manjunath Markandaya

  4. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, The State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Alan H. Lockwood

  5. Department of Neurosurgery, Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA

    Babak Jahromi

  6. Department of Neurology, Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii

    Mathew Koenig

Authors
  1. Manjunath Markandaya
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  2. Katherine P. Thomas
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  3. Babak Jahromi
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  4. Mathew Koenig
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  5. Alan H. Lockwood
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  6. Paul A. Nyquist
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  7. Marek Mirski
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  8. Romergryko Geocadin
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  9. Wendy C. Ziai
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Manjunath Markandaya.

Additional information

Dr. Wendy Ziai (Senior Co-author) performed the statistical analysis for this article.

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Markandaya, M., Thomas, K.P., Jahromi, B. et al. The Role of Neurocritical Care: A Brief Report on the Survey Results of Neurosciences and Critical Care Specialists. Neurocrit Care 16, 72–81 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-011-9628-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12028-011-9628-2

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