Needs and objectives of the paediatricians in the Basque Country

Objectives: to assess the social and working conditions and the needs of primary care paediatricians in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country.

Material and methods: a survey was carried out to the primary care paediatricians in February 2010. The questionnaire was sent to 255 paediatricians. It included questions about their social and working profile and future expectations.

Results: the total number of answers was 192 (75%). There was a majority of women (68%) and aged more of 45 years (70%). The number of patients assigned to each paediatrician is more than 1000 (25%) and only 20 % have less than 800 patients. Most paediatricians (55%) must share the nurse with another paediatrician. Thirty percent of paediatricians suffer burnout but 70% would not change his work in Primary Care. There is a great demand of continuous training and less bureaucratization.

Conclusions: feminization is growing in Paediatric Primary Care. The number of patients assigned to each paediatrician is higher than agreed (800 patients) with the Sanitary Administration. The help of nursery is insufficient. The age of paediatricians is high and the detected problems will grow on in the next years. There is a high percentage of burnout paediatricians. The Sanitary Administration should provide continuous training for the paediatricians who work in Primary Care.