At Hawaiʻi Pacific Health, we recognize that providing the best care for very ill people in a hospital setting is a specialty in itself – something that goes beyond just having specialists like surgeons and cardiologists in our hospital network.

Our hospitalist doctors are dedicated to providing on-site care for patients. They manage and integrate the care of patients in the hospital, which results in smoother, more attentive, and higher-quality care.

A pediatric hospitalist is a fully-trained pediatrician who specializes in the hospital care of children. Hospitalists do not have a general clinic, like a primary doctor, so they can be available for hospitalized patients at all times. Hospitalists are also involved in coordinating a child’s care with other medical services, such as consultant subspecialists, surgeons, therapists, case managers and social workers.

A primary doctor has a busy clinic schedule in the office and sometimes can’t be available for a child’s immediate needs in the hospital. The primary doctor allows pediatric hospitalists to care for their patients because they can respond to a child’s needs more quickly for the best possible care. The pediatric hospitalist is in close contact with the primary doctor. The primary doctor is notified when a child is admitted to the hospital, alerted to any major changes in his or her status, and when the child is discharged. The primary doctor receives a summary of the child’s hospital stay, including all test results or subspecialist notes, so he or she is up-to-date on everything that happens during the hospital stay. Parents may contact the primary doctor at any time during the child’s hospitalization. After the child is discharged, parents will follow up with the primary doctor as before the child’s hospitalization.

The Kapiʻolani Pediatric Hospitalist Division began in 1999 and now boasts a staff of 18 fully-trained pediatric hospitalists and the support of an additional five individuals per diem. Its primary responsibility is to provide the highest quality and most current medical care to patients. There are also teaching and supervisory roles for resident and student doctors, assisting in hospital administration, and conducting research in children’s health.

When a child reaches either the Wilcox or Carter wards at Kapiʻolani, they and their family will meet their medical team, which includes doctors, nurses, and staff. The nurses and staff will ask for general information about the child and family. Then pediatric residents and student doctors – doctors who have completed, or are studying for, their medical degree and completing their specialized training in pediatrics – will obtain detailed information about the child’s illness as well as background information necessary for the child’s medical care. Finally, families will meet the pediatric hospitalist, who will review the gathered information to clarify any facts that have been obtained.

Every morning from about 8:30 to 10:30 AM, the pediatric hospitalist, resident and student doctors, and nurses will come into the patient’s room to discuss the child’s current status with the parents. This way, the child’s information is kept private, everyone in the child’s care has the same information, and parents will hear everything being proposed for the child’s care. This is the time where the hospitalist can explain what is happening with the child and parents have the opportunity to ask any questions they may have. During the day, the hospitalist will update parents on any test results or any changes in medical care. At night, doctors stay overnight in the hospital to monitor and address the child’s immediate needs until the regular medical team returns during the following day.