[Family practitioners in the primary health care of preschool-age children--a report on well-child care in the practice of 2 family medicine physicians].

Primary health care of preschool children is organized in the Republic of Croatia by pediatricians, general practitioners and family/general practice specialist. The aim of this study is to evaluate the care for preschool children in the well baby clinics led by general/family specialist. Vaccination and visits data were collected from the medical records of 148 children born from January 1st 1992 till December 31st 1997, registered in two family practice offices in the well baby clinics at the Dugave-Travno Health Station of the "Novi Zagreb" Health Center. Comparison was made between data on compulsory immunization minimum in the Republic of Croatia and data from the Croatian National Institute of Public Health on vaccination of infants and preschool children in the Republic of Croatia in 1997. Diphtheria, tetanus and poliomyelitis vaccination was 100%, pertussis vaccination was 97.2%, measles and parotitis vaccination was 92.2% and rubella vaccination was 91.5%. Diphtheria and tetanus revaccination of children in the second year of life was 97.6%, pertussis revaccination was 94.4% and poliomyelitis revaccination was 96.8%. Comparison of those results proves the efficacy of compulsory immunization program of preschool children in family/general specialists' offices. The accessibility of general/family practice, appropriate education of general/family specialists during the specialization in family medicine for primary care of preschool children as well as for other family members, the ability of family physician to offer integrated continuous care and good cooperation of the family physician and the public nurse are the factors that enable appropriate primary care for preschool children in general practice/family medicine.