4P-SS8-2

Organization of Primary Care: An International Perspective

Del Torso S

APREF- Associazione per la Ricerca e Formazione, Padova, Italy

 

Objective: The goal of primary care pediatricians all over the world has been to provide preventive care, treatment of everyday and chronic illness, and serve as advocates for their patients without regard to cultural or social status. This session will provide an analysis of how dimensions of this common goal can be achieved in a variety of national health care systems.

Method: In the 21st century all children should receive primary care services providing continuos and comprehensive primary pediatric care, from birth through young adulthood, to be capable of working productively and of participating actively in the social life of the community.  Prevention is a core value for pediatricians: well-child care will continue to provide a vehicle for focusing on immunizations and it allows pediatricians to promote healthy lifestyle choices, to monitor patients for physical and behavioral pathology, and to provide age-appropriate and individualized anticipatory guidance.

The care of patients with chronic conditions also due to increased survivorship and high technology care will be an important part of the primary care pediatricians responsibilities and improved partnerships between families, pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists must be developed to ensure an effective answer to these demands.

Results: The primary care pediatrician should be able to integrate with other local services, developing a long term perspective of the changing health problems of individual children and of the community as a whole.

Conclusion: The dramatic diversity within each country and among countries is one of the major challenges which primary care pediatricians are asked to meet in the 3rd millennium.