Jubilee Lecture of the Scottish Paediatric Society. Do we really need community paediatricians? A summary of the lecture given at the Triennial Meeting of the Scottish Paediatric Society.
To summarise, I have supported the development of a specialty of "child development and rehabilitation" as an independent branch of paediatrics separate from neurology; emphasised the importance of expertise in child abuse for all paediatricians and not just those working in "the community"; described the changing role of specialist paediatric doctors in pre-school surveillance and the school health service; and suggested that we may need community paediatricians with a public health orientation. It is important to determine what community paediatricians should do and to ensure that the training they receive is relevant to the tasks required of them.
Hall
D M
DM
Department of Child Health, St. George's Hospital and Medical School, London, UK.
D003154:Community Medicine; D010372:Pediatrics; D010819:Physician's Role; D012606:Scotland