Improving the Joint Conference: The Roles of Pediatric Cardiologists and Cardiac Surgeons

Abstract

A “fair and just” joint conference among cardiac surgeons and pediatric cardiologists is imperative to discuss the clinical plan of pediatric heart disease patients. Discussion is often the only way to determine the most appropriate treatment decision for the patients, not only due to the lack of clinical evidence, but the uncertainty surrounding whether there is a truly “correct” answer for the treatment of disease in this particular area. Therefore, the quality of the joint conference has to be deliberately inspected and improved. Moreover, it is important to recognize various biases that can perpetually mislead our judgment. Effective and efficient conferences, together with a multi-disciplinary collaboration, should improve the outcomes of cardiac patients.