Mark Singleton

All Publications

• Practice Characteristics of Board-certified Pediatric Anesthesiologists in the US: A Nationwide Survey CUREUS Muffly, M., Scheinker, D., Muffly, T., Singleton, M., Agarwal, R., Honkanen, A. 2019; 11 (9)

  View details for DOI 10.7759/cureus.5745

  View details for Web of Science ID 000487712800010

• Practice Characteristics of Board-certified Pediatric Anesthesiologists in the US: A Nationwide Survey. Cureus Muffly, M., Scheinker, D., Muffly, T., Singleton, M., Agarwal, R., Honkanen, A. 2019; 11 (9): e5745

  Abstract

  Introduction We conducted a survey to describe the practice characteristics of anesthesiologists who have passed the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification Examination. Methods In July 2017, a list of anesthesiologists who had taken the ABA Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification Examination (hereafter referred to as "pediatric anesthesiologists") was obtained from the American Board of Anesthesiologists (theaba.org). Email contact information for these individuals was collected from departmental rosters, email distribution lists, hospital or anesthesia group profiles, manuscript author contact information, website source code, and other publicly available online sources. The survey was designed using Qualtrics (Qualtrics, Provo, Utah; Seattle, Washington), a web-based tool, to ascertain residency/fellowship training history and current practice characteristics that includes: years in practice, clinical work hours per week, primary hospital setting, practice type, supervision model, estimated percentage of cases by patient age group, and percentage of respondents who cared for any patient undergoing a fellowship-level index cases within the previous year. The invitation to complete the survey included a financial incentive - the chance to win one of twenty $50 Amazon gift cards. Results There were 3,492 anesthesiologists who had taken the Pediatric Anesthesiology Certification Examination since 2013. Surveys were sent to those whom an email address was identified (2,681) and 962 complete survey responses were received (35.9%, 962/2,681). Over 80% (785) of respondents completed a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship. Of these, 485 respondents (50.4%) work in academic practice, 212 (22.0%) in private practice, 233 (24.2%) in private practice and have academic affiliations, and 32 (3.3%) as locum tenens or in other practice settings. The majority of respondents (64.3%) in academic practice work in freestanding children's hospitals. Pediatric anesthesiologists in academic practice and private practice with academic affiliations reported caring for a greater number of younger children and doing a wider variety of index cases than respondents in private practice. Conclusion The extent to which pediatric anesthesiologists care for pediatric patients - particularly young children and those undergoing complex cases - varies. The variability in practice characteristics is likely a result of differences in hospital type, anesthesia practice type, geographic location, and other factors.

  View details for DOI 10.7759/cureus.5745

  View details for PubMedID 31723506

  View details for PubMedCentralID PMC6825435

• Guidelines and checklists for short-term missions in global pediatric surgery: Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics Delivery of Surgical Care Global Health Subcommittee, American Pediatric Surgical Association Global Pediatric Surgery Committee, Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Committee on International Education and Service, and American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. Global Health Special Interest Group PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA Butler, M., Drum, E., Evans, F. M., Fitzgerald, T., Fraser, J., Holterman, A., Jen, H., Kynes, M., Kreiss, J., McClain, C. D., Newton, M., Nwomeh, B., O'Neill, J., Ozgediz, D., Politis, G., Rice, H., Rothstein, D., Sanchez, J., Singleton, M., Yudkowitz, F. S. 2018; 28 (5): 392–410

  Abstract

  Pediatric surgeons, anesthesia providers, and nurses from North America and other high-income countries are increasingly engaged in resource-limited areas, with short-term missions as the most common form of involvement. However, consensus recommendations currently do not exist for short-term missions in pediatric general surgery and associated perioperative care. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Delivery of Surgical Care Subcommittee and American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Global Pediatric Surgery Committee, with the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) Global Health Special Interest Group, and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) Committee on International Education and Service generated consensus recommendations for short-term missions based on extensive experience with short-term missions. Three distinct, but related areas were identified: (i) Broad goals of surgical partnerships between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries. A previous set of guidelines published by the Global Paediatric Surgery Network Collaborative (GPSN) was endorsed by all groups; (ii) Guidelines for the conduct of short-term missions were developed, including planning, in-country perioperative patient care, post-trip follow-up, and sustainability; and (iii) travel and safety considerations critical to short-term mission success were enumerated. A diverse group of stakeholders developed these guidelines for short-term missions in low- and middle-income countries. These guidelines may be a useful tool to ensure safe, responsible, and ethical short-term missions given increasing engagement of high-income country providers in this work.

  View details for PubMedID 29870136

• Guidelines and checklists for short-term missions in global pediatric surgery: Recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics Delivery of Surgical Care Global Health Subcommittee, American Pediatric Surgical Association Global Pediatric Surgery Committee, Society for Pediatric Anesthesia Committee on International Education and Service, and American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. Global Health Special Interest Group JOURNAL OF PEDIATRIC SURGERY Butler, M., Drum, E., Evans, F. M., Fitzgerald, T., Fraser, J., Holterman, A., Jen, H., Kynes, J., Kreiss, J., McClain, C. D., Newton, M., Nwomeh, B., O'Neill, J., Ozgediz, D., Politis, G., Rice, H., Rothstein, D., Sanchez, J., Singleton, M., Yudkowitz, F. S. 2018; 53 (4): 828–36

  Abstract

  Pediatric surgeons, anesthesia providers, and nurses from North America and other high-income countries (HICs) are increasingly engaged in resource-limited areas, with short-term missions (STMs) as the most common form of involvement. However, consensus recommendations currently do not exist for STMs in pediatric general surgery and associated perioperative care.The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Delivery of Surgical Care Subcommittee and American Pediatric Surgical Association (APSA) Global Pediatric Surgery Committee, with the American Pediatric Surgical Nurses Association, Inc. (APSNA) Global Health Special Interest Group, and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia (SPA) Committee on International Education and Service generated consensus recommendations for STMs based on extensive experience with STMs.Three distinct, but related areas were identified: 1) Broad goals of surgical partnerships between HICs- and low and middle-income countries (LMICs). A previous set of guidelines published by the Global Paediatric Surgery Network Collaborative (GPSN), was endorsed by all groups; 2) Guidelines for the conduct of STMs were developed, including planning, in-country perioperative patient care, post-trip follow-up, and sustainability; 3) travel and safety considerations critical to STM success were enumerated.A diverse group of stakeholders developed these guidelines for STMs in LMICs. These guidelines may be a useful tool to ensure safe, responsible, and ethical STMs given increasing engagement of HIC providers in this work.5.

  View details for PubMedID 29223665

• The Pediatric Anesthesiology Workforce: Projecting Supply and Trends 2015-2035 ANESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA Muffly, M. K., Singleton, M., Agarwal, R., Scheinker, D., Miller, D., Muffly, T. M., Honkanen, A. 2018; 126 (2): 568–78

  Abstract

  A workforce analysis was conducted to predict whether the projected future supply of pediatric anesthesiologists is balanced with the requirements of the inpatient pediatric population. The specific aims of our analysis were to (1) project the number of pediatric anesthesiologists in the future workforce; (2) project pediatric anesthesiologist-to-pediatric population ratios (0-17 years); (3) project the mean number of inpatient pediatric procedures per pediatric anesthesiologist; and (4) evaluate the effect of alternative projections of individual variables on the model projections through 2035.The future number of pediatric anesthesiologists is determined by the current supply, additions to the workforce, and departures from the workforce. We previously compiled a database of US pediatric anesthesiologists in the base year of 2015. The historical linear growth rate for pediatric anesthesiology fellowship positions was determined using the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Data Resource Books from 2002 to 2016. The future number of pediatric anesthesiologists in the workforce was projected given growth of pediatric anesthesiology fellowship positions at the historical linear growth rate, modeling that 75% of graduating fellows remain in the pediatric anesthesiology workforce, and anesthesiologists retire at the current mean retirement age of 64 years old. The baseline model projections were accompanied by age- and gender-adjusted anesthesiologist supply, and sensitivity analyses of potential variations in fellowship position growth, retirement, pediatric population, inpatient surgery, and market share to evaluate the effect of each model variable on the baseline model. The projected ratio of pediatric anesthesiologists to pediatric population was determined using the 2012 US Census pediatric population projections. The projected number of inpatient pediatric procedures per pediatric anesthesiologist was determined using the Kids' Inpatient Database historical data to project the future number of inpatient procedures (including out of operating room procedures).In 2015, there were 5.4 pediatric anesthesiologists per 100,000 pediatric population and a mean (±standard deviation [SD]) of 262 ±8 inpatient procedures per pediatric anesthesiologist. If historical trends continue, there will be an estimated 7.4 pediatric anesthesiologists per 100,000 pediatric population and a mean (±SD) 193 ±6 inpatient procedures per pediatric anesthesiologist in 2035. If pediatric anesthesiology fellowship positions plateau at 2015 levels, there will be an estimated 5.7 pediatric anesthesiologists per 100,000 pediatric population and a mean (±SD) 248 ±7 inpatient procedures per pediatric anesthesiologist in 2035.If historical trends continue, the growth in pediatric anesthesiologist supply may exceed the growth in both the pediatric population and inpatient procedures in the 20-year period from 2015 to 2035.

  View details for PubMedID 29116973

• In Response. Anesthesia and analgesia Muffly, M., Honkanen, A., Singleton, M. 2017

  View details for DOI 10.1213/ANE.0000000000002037

  View details for PubMedID 28319513

• The Geographic Distribution of Pediatric Anesthesiologists Relative to the U.S. Pediatric Population. Anesthesia and analgesia Muffly, M. K., Medeiros, D., Muffly, T. M., Singleton, M. A., Honkanen, A. 2016: -?

  Abstract

  The geographic relationship between pediatric anesthesiologists and the pediatric population has potentially important clinical and policy implications. In the current study, we describe the geographic distribution of pediatric anesthesiologists relative to the U.S. pediatric population (0-17 years) and a subset of the pediatric population (0-4 years).The percentage of the U.S. pediatric population that lives within different driving distances to the nearest pediatric anesthesiologist (0 to 25 miles, >25 to 50 miles, >50 to 100 miles, >100 to 250 miles, and >250 miles) was determined by creating concentric driving distance service areas surrounding pediatric anesthesiologist practice locations. U.S. Census block groups were used to determine the sum pediatric population in each anesthesiologist driving distance service area. The pediatric anesthesiologist-to-pediatric population ratio was then determined for each of the 306 hospital referral regions (HRRs) in the United States and compared with ratios of other physician groups to the pediatric population. All geographic mapping and analysis was performed using ArcGIS Desktop 10.2.2 mapping software (Redlands, CA).A majority of the pediatric population (71.4%) lives within a 25-mile drive of a pediatric anesthesiologist; however, 10.2 million U.S. children (0-17 years) live greater than 50 miles from the nearest pediatric anesthesiologist. More than 2.7 million children ages 0 to 4 years live greater than 50 miles from the nearest identified pediatric anesthesiologist. The median ratio of pediatric anesthesiologists to 100,000 pediatric population at the HRR level was 2.25 (interquartile range, 0-5.46). Pediatric anesthesiologist geographic distribution relative to the pediatric population by HRR is lower and less uniform than for all anesthesiologists, neonatologists, and pediatricians.A substantial proportion of the U.S. pediatric population lives greater than 50 miles from the nearest pediatric anesthesiologist, and pediatric anesthesiologist-to-pediatric population ratios by HRR vary widely across the United States. These findings are important given that the new guidelines from the American College of Surgeons Children's Surgery Verification™ Quality Improvement Program state that pediatric anesthesiologists must care for a subset of pediatric patients. Because of the geographic distribution of pediatric anesthesiologists relative to the pediatric population, access to care by a pediatric anesthesiologist may not be feasible for all children, particularly for those with limited resources or in emergent situations.

  View details for PubMedID 27984248

• The Current Landscape of US Pediatric Anesthesiologists: Demographic Characteristics and Geographic Distribution ANESTHESIA AND ANALGESIA Muffly, M. K., Muffly, T. M., Weterings, R., Singleton, M., Honkanen, A. 2016; 123 (1): 179-185

  Abstract

  There is no comprehensive database of pediatric anesthesiologists, their demographic characteristics, or geographic location in the United States.We endeavored to create a comprehensive database of pediatric anesthesiologists by merging individuals identified as US pediatric anesthesiologists by the American Board of Anesthesiology, National Provider Identifier registry, Healthgrades.com database, and the Society for Pediatric Anesthesia membership list as of November 5, 2015. Professorial rank was accessed via the Association of American Medical Colleges and other online sources. Descriptive statistics characterized pediatric anesthesiologists' demographics. Pediatric anesthesiologists' locations at the city and state level were geocoded and mapped with the use of ArcGIS Desktop 10.1 mapping software (Redlands, CA).We identified 4048 pediatric anesthesiologists in the United States, which is approximately 8.8% of the physician anesthesiology workforce (n = 46,000). The median age of pediatric anesthesiologists was 49 years (interquartile range, 40-57 years), and the majority (56.4%) were men. Approximately two-thirds of identified pediatric anesthesiologists were subspecialty board certified in pediatric anesthesiology, and 33% of pediatric anesthesiologists had an identified academic affiliation. There is substantial heterogeneity in the geographic distribution of pediatric anesthesiologists by state and US Census Division with urban clustering.This description of pediatric anesthesiologists' demographic characteristics and geographic distribution fills an important gap in our understanding of pediatric anesthesia systems of care.

  View details for DOI 10.1213/ANE.0000000000001266

  View details for Web of Science ID 000378083300024

  View details for PubMedID 27049856

• In Reply. Anesthesiology Singleton, M. A., Apfelbaum, J. L., Connis, R. T., Nickinovich, D. G. 2015; 123 (4): 977-978

  View details for DOI 10.1097/ALN.0000000000000827

  View details for PubMedID 26372136

• American Society of Anesthesiologists on Children's Surgical Care. Journal of the American College of Surgeons Fitch, J. C., Singleton, M. A. 2014; 219 (2): 326-?

  View details for DOI 10.1016/j.jamcollsurg.2014.05.004

  View details for PubMedID 25038962