Do we have enough pediatric endocrinologists?

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Issues of workforce are currently very important. There is ongoing discussion regarding whether we have the right number and geographic distribution of pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists. One way of evaluating this is to look at the population prevalence of disease and match that to the number of available providers. In this issue of The Journal, Lee et al report on the evaluation of the geographic distribution of childhood diabetes and obesity and the supply of pediatric endocrinologists. They found that the distribution of endocrinologists does not parallel the distribution of children with diabetes and obesity. In fact, there is up to a 19-fold difference in the observed ratios of obese children and endocrinologists. This analysis raises important questions about the distribution of pediatric endocrinologists and the best methods to develop appropriate systems of care for children with diabetes and obesity in areas where there are fewer endocrinologists.