Curriculum for General Practice - The Royal New Zealand College ...
Curriculum for General Practice - The Royal New Zealand College ...
Curriculum for General Practice - The Royal New Zealand College ...
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Paediatrics and Immunisations<br />
P<br />
Paediatrics and Immunisations<br />
<strong>General</strong> practitioners are closely involved<br />
in the care of children from conception to<br />
adulthood. Paediatric care specifically covers<br />
children from birth through to their teens.<br />
Caring <strong>for</strong> children as a general practitioner is<br />
a journey of lifelong learning, and appropriate<br />
medical intervention at this life stage could be<br />
said to have more benefit to the community<br />
in the long term than any other investment in<br />
health care. 1<br />
‘A number of risk factors <strong>for</strong> many adult diseases such as<br />
diabetes, heart disease and some mental health conditions<br />
such as depression arise in childhood. Child health,<br />
development and wellbeing also have broader effects on<br />
educational achievement, violence, crime and unemployment.’ 2<br />
<strong>The</strong> <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> Health Survey in 2006/07 found that<br />
one in five children aged 2 to 14 years were overweight<br />
(20.9 percent) and one in twelve was obese (8.3 percent). 3<br />
Obesity in children is associated with a wide range of<br />
medical conditions, such as asthma, endocrine conditions,<br />
musculoskeletal problems and psychological issues. <strong>General</strong><br />
practitioners need to provide advice and support to family/<br />
whānau about the risks to their children to ensure good<br />
health outcomes.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are a number of schemes in place to ensure the<br />
wellbeing of children, including Well Child/Tamariki Ora,<br />
and the B4 School Checks. <strong>The</strong>se initiatives are designed<br />
to provide intervention services to ensure children’s<br />
development is monitored and any health issues are<br />
identified early.<br />
Infectious disease is common in <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong>. Immunisation<br />
coverage is important to protect the health of the individual<br />
and the wider community. When coverage of immunisation<br />
is higher it reduces the spread of infectious diseases to those<br />
who have not been vaccinated. 4 119<br />
1<br />
Families Commission. Investing in the Early Years: Issues Paper 05. http://www.nzfamilies.org.nz/web/investing-early-years/index.html<br />
2<br />
Ministry of Health. Child Health. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/life-stages/child-health<br />
3<br />
Ministry of Health A Portrait of Health: Key results of the 2006/07 <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong> Health Survey<br />
http://www.health.govt.nz/publication/portrait-health-key-results-2006-07-new-zealand-health-survey<br />
4<br />
Ministry of Health. Immunisation coverage. http://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/preventative-health-wellness/immunisation/immunisation-coverage<br />
www.rnzcgp.org.nz<br />
<strong>Curriculum</strong> <strong>for</strong> <strong>General</strong> <strong>Practice</strong>
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