Even though this decision concretely refers to a forensic ward in a
psychiatric medical facility, one can derive an interpretation from it that
makes a general separation of adolescents and adults in all
psychiatric medical facilities mandatory.
A 2014 amendment to the Act on the Medical Profession provides the
statutory basis for moving further away than was previously possible
from earlier training requirements at the level of the Regulation on
Education and Training for Medical Practitioners (ÄrzteAusbildungsverordnung) for the inadequately filled child and
adolescent psychiatry speciality field. From the perspective of the NPM,
it is absolutely essential that the training requirements for the specialist
field of child and adolescent psychiatry be loosened, as otherwise
there will probably not be enough specialists for children and
adolescents who urgently need treatment until decades into the
future. Assuming that the child and adolescent psychiatry is
recognised as an inadequately filled field, the existing required
training ratio of “1:1” should be increased as soon as possible. This, by
the way, has occurred in the entire German-speaking world. This
would mean that – in the spirit of a true regulation for an inadequately
filled specialty field – a specialist could be responsible for at least two
resident doctors with regard to training in the future. To illustrate the
feasibility of this requirement, reference is made to the newly built
University Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry in Innsbruck as an
example. It can only fulfil its responsibilities (including improvement of
care in the Land Tyrol) if it has additional specialists. In Vienna
necessary additional improvements such as six permanent contracts
for external medical practices with the Public Regional Health
Insurance Office or an expected new specialist ward in the SMZ Nord
Hospital must occur.
Amendment of the
education and training
regulations
Agreement on how to proceed was reached at a round table
discussion initiated by the NPM with representatives of the Austrian
Medical Chamber, the Federal Ministry of Health and the Austrian
Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. The participants of the
meeting agreed that it is no longer in dispute that training positions
must be created not only in the inpatient sector but in the outpatient
sector as a supporting measure as well. However, further discussions
will doubtlessly be necessary, particularly but not solely with the
Laender, which would largely have to bear the additional costs for the
increase in training positions. A real improvement in the care of
children and adolescents with mental disorders in Austria can
otherwise not be achieved in the foreseeable future.
More training possibilities for specialists in the child and adolescent psychiatry specialty
field are urgently needed.
48
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