Neonatal personnel in Canada

Although the need for trained personnel to care for neonates with complex needs is recognized, there has been no systematic analysis of present or future personnel requirements. The Canadian Paediatric Society's Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Section sponsored a symposium on neonatal personnel, inviting four Canadian experts to address issues related to future needs. Areas addressed included neonatal nurse practitioners providing increased patient care in some parts of the country as resident involvement in neonatal intensive care decreases, the extended roles of other health care personnel and increased direct patient care by neonatologists. There is no approved method to determine personnel needs, but paediatric department heads have indicated that the number of neonatologists needed is substantially greater than available funding allows. Considering economic factors and the need to educate perinatal care providers, it is important to assess present and future needs to ensure that quality care can be provided.