On May 18-19th, 2018, the European Academy of Pediatrics Spring Meeting was held in Sofia, Bulgaria as part of the initiatives during the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Endo-ERN was represented at this meeting and discussed potential future collaboration options.
The European Academy of Pediatrics (EAP) represents the Paediatric Section of the European Union of Medical Specialists. Their objective includes the promotion of quality patient care through harmonisation and improvement in the quality of specialists’ medical care throughout the European Union, and the encouragement and facilitation of continuous medical education for European specialists. EAP is composed of delegates from European national and specialist paediatric societies, and as such represents the official political voice for children and paediatricians throughout Europe.
Its working group of rare diseases was established in 2010, with the main aim to serve as a network for pediatricians in order to improve care for patients with rare diseases. Children with chronic and rare conditions require holistic, comprehensive and coordinated joint management among primary care specialists and families. EAP has endorsed principles of the chronic care model for children as a framework for improved systems of healthcare for children with rare and chronic conditions in Europe and beyond.
The European Union of Medical Specialists recognizes Multiple Joint Committees, and established a Committee for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases in 2016. Next to the EAP, nine other specialist societies are represented in the Committee for Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases. The EAP working group on rare diseases is ready to collaborate with all recently established ERNs in order to maintain a high level of rare diseases diagnostics and care expertise among European Pediatricians and support their progress.
ENDO-ERN was presented with the results of the healthcare professionals’ survey about education and training gaps that have to be filled by the Network in the following years. Vivid discussions found a mutual way forward in the better penetration of rare diseases within the pediatric and specialized pediatric training curricula and continuous medical education as the shortest way to equalize healthcare of affected European children.
To read more about EAP click here.
