Objectives
- Stimulate and coordinate the input of primary care physicians into ESCMID.
- Enhance knowledge on aetiology, diagnosis, prognosis and prevention of infectious diseases in primary care by creating a platform for scientific discussions on these topics within ESCMID.
- Enable, stimulate and improve contacts and cooperation between primary care physicians, infectious diseases specialists, microbiologists, paediatricians and other experts within ESCMID.
Background
Infectious diseases are very common in primary care and the vast majority of cases is diagnosed and treated in this setting without referral to hospital. In the past decade research on infectious diseases in primary care has improved considerably, both in quality and quantity. Several university departments of general practice or primary care in Europe have chosen infectious diseases as a major focus for research and have been successful in acquiring funds and publishing papers. This has resulted in a fast growing number of international publications, mainly on respiratory and urinary tract infections, systematic reviews and national and international guidelines in this field.
Within primary care meetings and congresses, new insights and controversies on infectious diseases are nowadays frequently discussed and receive adequate attention. However, the dialogue between primary care researchers and microbiologists and infectious disease specialists is still lacking. Primary care researchers, mainly general practitioners and clinical epidemiologists, only rarely visit international congresses on clinical microbiology and infectious diseases, and presentations by them on these occasions are scarce. More input from primary care in discussions in this field would be very valuable and would enhance both the scope and the scientific relevance of meetings like the yearly congress of ESCMID. In addition primary care researchers work together more and more with infectious disease specialists, microbiologists and immunologists both in research and teaching projects.
Following this, the Study Group for Primary Care Topics (ESPRIT) was founded in early 2005. Our aim is to stimulate and co-ordinate the participation of researchers and health care professionals from primary care and to organise, together with other working groups, workshops and symposia. This would stimulate further co-operation between the different disciplines, enhance mutual understanding and generate new ideas.
