Ensuring that all paediatricians and rheumatologists recognise significant rheumatic diseases.
In many health-care systems around the world, many generalists (defined here as a clinician who is not an expert in paediatric musculoskeletal [pMSK] medicine) will be the doctor to whom children with MSK problems are most likely to present. The generalist is likely to have a clinical background in family medicine and paediatrics, but may be a specialist in adult orthopaedics, adult rheumatology or emergency care. Therefore, it is critical that the generalist is able to quickly recognise a child with significant rheumatic disease in order to initiate the proper treatment or referral to a specialist. However, most generalists are ill equipped to be able to do so, because of current deficiencies in education and training. The aims of this article are as follows:
Newcastle University, Medical School, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK. h.e.foster@ncl.ac.uk
Helen
H
Foster
Yukiko
Y
Kimura
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003479:Curriculum; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004517:Education, Professional; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education*; D012216:Rheumatic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology