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Child neurology services for children with epilepsy in Finland

Matti Sillanpää1,2, Maiju M Saarinen1,2, Tuire Lähdesmäki2

  • 1Department of General Practice University of Turku Turku Finland.

Epilepsia Open
|December 18, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Child neurology services in Finland are well-organized, with consistent patient accessibility despite geographic variations in child neurologist density. A future challenge is the aging specialist workforce.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Healthcare Organization
  • Epilepsy Management

Background:

  • Child neurology services are crucial for managing epilepsy in children.
  • Understanding the distribution and accessibility of these services is vital for equitable healthcare.
  • Finland's healthcare system provides a unique context for evaluating child neurology provision.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess the organization, training, and needs of child neurologists in Finland.
  • To evaluate patient accessibility to child neurology services and treatment pathways for pediatric epilepsy.
  • To identify geographic variations and potential challenges in child neurology care.

Main Methods:

  • Data collected from all Finnish healthcare areas on training capacity and child neurologist numbers.
  • Utilized National Physician Register and Central Register of Healthcare Professionals.
  • Inquiries made to public healthcare unit heads regarding service availability and accessibility.

Main Results:

  • Finland had 11.9 child neurologists per 100,000 children (0-15 years) in 2018, with geographic disparities.
  • Waiting times for treatment were consistent nationwide, indicating equitable access.
  • Current recommendations involve hospitalization for initial nonfebrile or complex febrile seizures, with outpatient management for simple febrile seizures.

Conclusions:

  • Child neurology services in Finland are well-provided and organized.
  • Despite regional variations in specialist numbers, patient access to care is uniform.
  • A significant challenge is the impending retirement of experienced specialists and the need for sufficient trainees.
Abstract

Keywords:
child health carechild neurologist densitychild neurologist traininghealth servicespediatric neurology

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