TEACHING
PEDIATRICS IN THE COMMUNITY.
DeWitt TG
Children’s Hospital Medical Center,
Cincinnati, U.S.A.
The majority of pediatricians in the
United States care for children and address child health issues in the
context of the community. However, training has traditionally occurred in
hospitals and academic health centers. Recent changes in national training requirements in the
United States have encouraged a shift to more community-based experiences. These experiences include such
settings as community-based primary care, day care centers, public health
departments, and school-based health centers. The curriculum includes topics such as the management
and delivery of health care in a community practice, application of
pediatric principles in community populations, community-oriented primary
care, and the role of the pediatrician as an advocate. In other countries, the role of the
pediatrician in the community, although not as extensive, have many of
these elements. As such, issues of teaching pediatrics in the community
have an increasing international relevance.
With regard to teaching pediatrics in
the community, this presentation will 1) review the principles that support
it, 2) present examples of current training requirements related to it in
the United States and elsewhere, 3) discuss the structural issues important
to successful implementation of such programs, and 4) briefly describe
programs from several different countries. Educational principles, including evaluation, as they
relate to these elements of teaching in the community will be
addressed. Participants will
be encouraged to offer their own experience and perspective on
community-based training.
Future opportunities for international discussion of, and training
experiences in, community-based education will be discussed.