To the Nordic Paediatric Federation
NAMN - a Nordic Adolescent Medicine NetworkRepresentatives for adolescent medicine from the five Nordic countries met in Copenhagen in March 2006, invited by the Nordic Paediatric Federation, to form a Nordic network. The group responsible for the network, consisting of two members from each country, has been sponsored by the Nordic Paediatric Federation.
The purpose of this network is to give and receive support and inspiration in order to develop adolescent medicine in the Nordic countries.
We were given the task of
1. building a network
2. describing the adolescent medicine status in the Nordic countries
3. recommending what is most important for the development of adolescent medicine including competences and the role of primary care services
.
This is a report of what has happened during these past three years:
Today NAMN is a co-operation between the adolescent medicine groups / representatives belonging to the national paediatric associations in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. The network is also connected to the International Association for Adolescent Health (IAAH). The common language is English.
The NAMN-group has met twice at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, 2007 and 2008. The next meeting will be in August 2009, also in Denmark, which has been the most comfortable and cheapest way of travelling for the members. On the other hand it is important too visit all the countries, especially if the meeting is combined with local activities using the experiences of the group and its members.
Members of the NAMN-groupThe members are all paediatricians with connections to the national paediatric societies, the Nordic Paediatric Federation, the International Association for Adolescent Health, European paediatric organizations, university and regional hospitals as well as ordinary out-patient care for young people, school health medicine and youth health clinics:
Denmark Tina Messell
Familieambulatoriet, Hvidovre Hospital
messell@dadlnet.dk
Kirsten Boisen
Center of Adolescent Medicine, Rigshospitalet, Univ Hospital of Copenhagen
boisen@rh.dk
Finland Raisa Lounamaa
Department of Paediatrics, Jyväskylä Central Hospital
raisa.lounamaa@ksshp.fi
Katri Makkonen
School Health Services, Helsinki
katri.makkonen@vantaa.fi
Iceland Katrin Davídsdottír
Centre for child health services, Reykjavik
katrin.davidsdottir@mhb.hg.is
Ragnar Bjarnason
Department of Paediatrics, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik
ragnarb@landspitali.is
Norway Turid Lingaas Holmen
Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Verdal
turid.lingaas.holmen@ntnu.no
Lars Krogvold
Ulleval University Hospital , Oslo
lars.krogvold@uus.no
Sweden Margrethe Krabbe
Kungshojd Paediatric Out-patient Clinic, Göteborg
margrethe.krabbe@vgregion.se
Tommy Melin
Pediatrician, Borgholm
t.melin@telia.com
The meetings in Copenhagen have been important to get to know each other, and to learn more about prerequisites and the state of adolescent medicine today in the Nordic countries. The latest meeting focused on a discussion comparing our Nordic countries from the perspective of Youth Friendly Health Services based on the English concept of You´re Welcome Quality Criterias from Department of Health, UK. A summary, and conclusions, will be published later as a separate report.
Websitewww.nordicadolescentmedicine.blogspot.com
The main purpose of the website is to present scientific articles, projects, reports and ideas from each country as well as conferences, meetings and courses.
InformationWe plan to collect all information on the website with access both to the members of the network and others with interest in adolescent medicine.
TrainingThree members of the NAMN-group have been invited to the Swedish annual one-week adolescent medicine course for doctors specializing in paediatrics, general practice, gynaecology and child psychiatry.
Colleagues from Nordic countries have been inspired to follow the EuTEACH Summer School on adolescent medicine and health at the Lausanne University, Switzerland. Representation from northern Europe has been quite rare before.
EuTEACH = European Training for an Effective Adolescent Care and Health.
ConferencesColleagues from other Nordic countries have been invited to seminars like `Ethics during Adolescence` in Gothenburg, `Danish Adolescent Medicine` in Odense and the conference `Adolescent Health` arranged by the Swedish Section of Adolescent Medicine at the Nordic School of Public Health.
VisitsIn connection to conferences, or planning projects, visits to learn and get ideas have taken place, for example Youth Health Clinics in Gothenburg.
IdeasGood examples will probably be important when exchanging ideas between our countries. One good example of current interest is the recently started Ungdomsmedicinsk Videncenter at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen.
International contactsThe NAMN-group responsible for contacts within the Nordic countries, as well as contributing to adolescent medicine in their own country, consists of members with many international links. They are represented in the U.E.M.S. Section of Paediatrics, the European Academy of Paediatrics and the European Board of the International Association for Adolescent Health
ConclusionThe Nordic countries in most aspects have the same basic values considering young people, that in many, and interesting aspects, differ from other parts of Europe.
On the other hand the care of young people either in medical practice or in health promotion differs between our countries due to laws, rules, traditions, social and medical cultures and different organizational solutions.
We believe we have much to learn from each other and that each of us has experiences and knowledge that might be applied in our neighbouring countries. Our countries have very much in common, but there are differences enough to stimulate a further development of adolescent medicine.
NextWe have carried out the first task organizing a Nordic adolescent medicine network.
The next step will be to describe one aspect of the adolescent medicine status in the Nordic countries by the report “Are health services in the Nordic countries youth-friendly enough”. This report will be finished later this year.
NAMN, May 3, 2009
Tommy Melin
t.melin@telia.com
