Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery
Vol.27 No.3 2011 (134-140)

Makoto Nakazawa, Yoshio Arakaki, Shigeru Uemura, Shunichi Ogawa, Masami Nagashima, Yukishige Yanagawa, Masao Yoshinaga

Subspecialty Board Examination Committee, Japanese Society of Pediatric Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery

Abstract

The written examination for the Pediatric Cardiology Board of Japan was first administered in 2010. Questions were based on the examination of the American Board of Pediatric Cardiology with modifications in order to fit the medical situation of our country. Among the eligible physicians, 299 were administered the examination, and the average score was 80.8% with a discrimination index of 0.24 on average. The answers and the scores for the following items and fields were found to be less satisfactory: understanding of pathophysiology in relation to the given information, physical assessment of the cardiovascular system, issues related to metabolic syndrome in children, reading and understanding of ECGs for arrhythmias, and questions of taxonomy type Ⅲ. The results suggested that training programs should be constructed to cover the wide range of pediatric cardiology practices in Japan.