Practical Paediatric Problems in Primary Care

General practitioners (GPs) and other members of the Primary Health Care Team (PHCT) play a crucial role in the provision of health care for children. At least 25% of GP consultations are with children, and many of the problems encountered are specific to this population group. However,children do not represent a homogeneous population and several ages of childhood are recognised, each with its unique set of illnesses and problems: the neonate, infant, pre-school child, school age child and the adolescent. Furthermore, both the childhood population and their illnesses change withtime; new illnesses such as HIV have appeared and others, not seen for many years (such as rickets, tuberculosis and congenital rubella syndrome) have returned. Thus a comprehensive knowledge of the varied aspects of child health is needed; recognition of the acutely ill child, developmentalsurveillance, immunisation, treatment of chronic illness, and psycho-social issues. GPs are also increasingly involved in influencing configuration and the commissioning of services at a local level. This textbook provides practical guidance for GPs, GP registrars, practice nurses and health visitors dealing with child health in the 21st century. It undertakes a focused, problem-orientated approach based on the more common childhood problems encountered by GPs. Each chapter includes theessential background theory, but the emphasis is on making the clinical approach relevant and sensitive to primary care. Solutions to clinical scenarios are provided, based upon current, best available evidence. Site and system specific chapters are combined with sections looking at wider issuessuch as ethics and law, multicultural issues, and immunisation.

Dr Michael Bannon is a paediatrician with an interest in community child health. He has held several consultant posts in England. He has had a continuing interest in education in training and has been BPA tutor, Senior Lecturer, Associate Postgraduate Dean and more recently, Postgraduate Dean in Oxford. Dr Bannon is also an associate editor for Archives of Disease in Childhood, pubilshed by BMJ publishing group. Professor Yvonne Carter was appointed as Vice-Dean of Leicester Warwick Medical Schools in 2003 and became Dean of Warwick Medical School the following year. She holds a Chair in General Practice and Primary Care and is a practising GP in Coventry. She is also a Non-Executive Director at the University Hospitals of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. Between 1996-2000 she was the Chairman of Research for the RCGP and in 2000 received an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to health service research. In 2004 she also received an Honorary Fellowship from Queen Mary, University of London for services to general practice and primary care.