The number of trained specialists worldwide is insufficient to serve all children with pediatric rheumatologic disorders, even in the countries with robust medical resources. It has been suggested that the potential of diagnostic decision support software (DDSS) can be used to alleviate this shortage by assessing the ability of such software to improve the diagnostic accuracy of non-specialists. Practical Issues of Diagnosis of Pediatric Rheumatology A serious shortage of trained specialists .
The lack of access to pediatric rheumatology care is exacerbated by the fact that many of these specialists are not full-time clinicians. For many patients with rheumatologic disorders, the only option is to be treated by primary care providers, many of whom are untrained in rheumatology . The most common reasons for pediatric rheumatology referrals are joint pain or swelling, abnormal results on…
