Pediatricians defend its presence in primary care as a quality grarantia.

– has been shown that the best system to maintain the health of children is their attention by paediatricians and general practitioners not part

– training received by this specialist lets you promote a healthy lifestyle in the child and his family and inculcate recommendations of raising positive

-pediatricians call for a rejuvenation of primary careimplementing the latest technology and improving the remuneration, to make it attractive to future generations of doctors

– quality of life Spanish children lies 11 points above the European average, having improved in recent years

Madrid, February 2012.- the maintenance of the figure of the pediatrician in the health centres is the best tool for that Spain continue progressing in their good results in child health, as has become apparent in the course update 9th in Pediatrics, which was held in Madrid and in which participated more than 700 specialists.

While in Europe there are three models of primary care for children, pediatrician and Chief of the Group’s work strategic of the Confederation European of Pediatricians of primary care (ECPC), Shimon Barak, explains the data to support the system used in our country, in which the pediatrician is responsible for comprehensive care to the child.

Precisely for having these specialists in health centers, the infant mortality rate has declined in the last decade, down from 7.6 per 100,000 inhabitants in 1990 to 3.15 in 2010, ranking below countries such as France, Germany, United Kingdom and Italy ”, emphasizes Dr. Begoña Domínguez, President of the Spanish Association of Paediatrics of primary care (pediatricians).

The other two prevailing models in Europe are the attention by the general practitioner-based and which applies a mixed system. A study in the British Medical Journal cited by Dr. Barak demonstrates the inefficiency of the first. Labour admits that the quality of Pediatric primary care United Kingdom is below all acceptable European standard ” and emphasizes the figures that show that assertion. Infant mortality in this country is the highest in Europe in all categories and for all the reasons and etiologies, but mainly due to preventable diseases, whose diagnosis depends on quick and easy access to primary care medical services.

In response, Professor Barak doubts United Kingdom system and explains that is the mistaken belief that paediatric care by general practitioners is cheaper than practised by own specialists ”.

However, a second Italian study also cited by this expert dismantles the myth, as do the World Bank data, show that expenditure on health per capita in countries with systems based on family physicians is higher than in countries with systems based on pediatricians.

Child health in Spain

According to DRA. Domínguez, Spain spent 9.5% of its GDP on health spending (below the European average) and occupies, however, the first places on health outcomes. In this regard, in Spain exercised as professional AP 6.215 pediatricians, who in 2009 were 34.7 million consultations.

Undoubtedly, the work of these physicians has been reflected in the success of child health in Spain. The quality of life of the population between 8 and 15 years is 61,81, 11 points above the European average. The health of the child population in our country has improved in recent years and stands out above other European countries. Evidence clearly indicates that the system in which AP pediatricians are responsible for attention to the population younger than 15 years is best for the health of our children and the lowest economic cost ”, qualifies the Dr. Domínguez.

Demands to the Administration: organizational changes and improvements in training

However, the pediatricians is aware that there is a deficit of pediatricians, so recommend health authorities encourage the formation and squares of Pediatrics and reorganize otherwise current resources.

It is recipes similar to those recommended by Professor Barak, who claims that the solution is not easy and requires joint efforts of all those who take part in the system of medical education and health, from patient care to own pediatricians, passing by politicians, civil servants, teachers, University professors and the rest of civil society ”.

For this expert, PA must evolve towards an integrated model of care to provide medical care cost-effective, secure, timely, efficient, effective, equitable and patient-centred so it must include all aspects of health care. To this end, it is essential that, although it is run by competent pediatricians, be made optimal use of professionalism which involves a multidisciplinary team.

According to Professor Barak, a good organization, delegation of powers and a modernization of the administrative part, as well as an intelligent use of the most modern technologies, would influence an atmosphere and reasonable work and fair remuneration burden ”.

Is that increasingly more pediatricians opt for primary care, something that would have to be accompanied by increased MIR vacancies and rejuvenation of the specialty of PA make it attractive for future generations of doctors would influence the well-being of our children, our most valuable resource and the best hope for our future ”, concludes the specialist.

Promotion and prevention of health

One of the key points of the pediatricians is to ensure the quality of care. In this regard, prevention in childhood and adolescence (PREVINFAD) group has presented the second edition of the Handbook of preventive activities in childhood and adolescence, which includes a guide’s recommendations to generate and maintain permanently up-to-date preventive activities that must be performed in the child and adolescent population. Since this group explains that these guides are based on the best scientific evidence, morbidity and available resources ”.

Spanish Association of primary care Pediatrics

The Spanish Association of Pediatrics of primary care (pediatricians) is constituted as a Federation of associations of pediatricians who work in primary care (AP), scientific and professional status for non-profit purposes, which represents more than 3,000 pediatricians of AP in the Spanish State.

Within it are different working groups on various subjects (Group on prevention in childhood and adolescence, group of Airways, Pediatrics based on evidence, teaching MIR, international cooperation, pathology of adolescent sleep, research group, group professional, disorder attention deficit and hyperactivity and group health education).

The main objectives of this Association are: promote the development of Pediatrics in primary care, seek the maximum State of health of children and adolescents, promoting their health, prevent disease and facilitate its recovery in case of infected, promote and exercise teaching on pediatric primary care of the pregraduado and postgraduate (Pediatrics resident physicians)(, Residents family medicine and community and professionals in the field of primary care physicians), promote and exercise research, coordinate the different health programmes related to children, pick up issues and concerns related to the exercise of the primary care Pediatrics and represent the interests of its partners in the framework of the laws and to the various agencies (Government public health) (and teachers, other bodies or entities national or international), and coordinating with other similar associations (regional, national, or international) activities and projects aimed at the improvement of the Pediatrics in primary care.