Autumn Conference focuses on treatment of children and young people

The Autumn Conference organised by East Tallinn Central Hospital was held for the 19th time at the start of November. This time, the conference was entitled Paediatric patients at East Tallinn Central Hospital. Almost 400 paediatricians, general practitioners, nursing and other healthcare professionals attended the conference online.

The overarching theme of the conference was the treatment and health of children and young people, with topics ranging from newborns in the Centre of Perinatal Care to the medical examinations of young athletes. This year's conference theme was inspired by the 10th anniversary of the hospital's Neonatology Department.

According to Ene Mäeots, the Quality Manager of East Tallinn Central Hospital Clinic of Internal Medicine, who played the role of moderator, the initial plan was to dedicate just one part of the conference day to topics related to children. "Little has been said about paediatric patients, but in recent years there have been many changes in the way they are approached. However, while preparing for the conference, so many exciting and necessary topics became apparent that unfortunately some presentations had to be set aside for future opportunities," says Dr Mäeots. According to Mäeots, it is difficult to single out one particular speaker, as all the topics were unique in their own way.

 "General practitioners and their nurses sometimes have little information about the treatment options available for children, even though every such practice has children with health issues. Children's health problems need to be solved as soon as possible, as this is the only way to ensure that children grow up to be physically and emotionally healthy," stresses Dr Mäeots. "Shared knowledge will help GPs make better decisions when it is necessary to refer patients to a specialist. At the same time, they can rest assured that, with us, their patients will be treated using up-to-date tools and facilities."

Conferences organised under the auspices of East Tallinn Central Hospital Clinic of Internal Medicine are a long-standing tradition; over the past 19 years, they have grown into representative conferences for the entire hospital. The hospital includes a maternity hospital with the largest number of births in Estonia (an average of 4000 babies born each year), which is also the highest hospital level in North Estonia. In addition, many specialties practiced at the central hospital contribute specifically to children's health.