News from Finnish Paediatric Society, Division of Community Paediatrics  (Avohoitopediatrian jaosto)

It was grounded in 2004 to develop and support primary care pediatrics and pediatricians working in primary health care (avopediatria means ‘open care’ pediatrics in finnish). Division of community pediatrics works to join pediatricians working in primary care, both in communal and private sectors, and as their representatives within Finnish Paediatric Society. We want to develop working models of primary care pediatrics, research and education to profit pediatric knowledge and experience better for wellbeing of children and adolescents. Our aim is to increase the number of pediatricians working in primary care and to pay special attention to prophylactic health care.

Division of Community Paediatrics has 64 registered members 2014. As we are a subdivision of Finnish Paediatric Society (SLY), we do not have membership fee but finance our activities with grant of 2000 euros yearly from our mother organization SLY.  Our yearly organizing meeting in March selects the executive committee. Year 2015 Pirkko Keronen (Espoo) was elected as president, Sari Kurikka (Tampere) as vice president and Peter Csonka (Tampere) as general secretary. Minna Aromaa (Turku, former president and grounder of the division), Elina Hermanson (Espoo), Merja Hietanen (Tampere), Annika Pohto (Espoo) and Jarmo Salo (Oulu, webmaster) continue their work in the excecutive committee.

We organize yearly a one and a half day seminar in Tuohilampi where actual themes are discussed in working groups after an expert lecture. Lately we have had ADHD, eating disorders- and sleeping disorders of children in our agenda. Two articles have been published in the Finnish Medical Journal (Suomen Lääkärilehti) and our members have been co-workers in a large database containing handbook of pediatric health care to health care nurses, doctors and families (Lastenneuvolakäsikirja, THL). As well we have published a smaller booklet for doctors working in primary health care called Lastenneuvolaopas.

We are pleased to be a member of ECPCP since 2014 Pirkko Keronen being our representative in the European confederation of primary care pediatrics.  We hope we can learn from ECPCP how primary care pediatrics works in European countries, and that we can have use of that experience when promoting primary care pediatrics in Finland.