SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital, accredited in 21 European Reference Networks

SJD Barcelona Children's Hospital has expanded the number of accreditations that it has received within the framework of the European Reference Network for rare and complex diseases. The Hospital, which specialises in pediatric disease and maternity, has 21 European accreditations and is adding seven new ones to the number it already had. In addition, its participation as an associate centre in five networks has consolidated and formalised its status as a full member. The Hospital participates in 21 of the 24 existing ERNs and is one of few specialist pediatric centres to enjoy such European recognition.

The objective of European Reference Networks (ERNs) is to connect leading health centres throughout Europe in the care of rare and complex conditions with a view to sharing information and clinical and research advances to improve diagnosis and treatment while improving healthcare quality.

The specialties that have been accredited include neurosurgery (ERN CRANIO); pediatric nephrology (ERKNet); haematology (ERN EuroBloodNet); systemic autoimmune diseases treated by the Rheumatology Unit (ERN ReCONNET); autoinflammatory primary immunodeficiencies, autoimmune vasculitis and encephalitis, and pediatric rheumatology (ERN RITA); kidney and stem-cell transplantation (ERN TRANSPLANT-CHILD); and vascular malformations (VASCERN).

In addition to these specialties, the hospital has been recognised as a full member of five ERNs in which it has participated as an associate centre until now. These are orthopaedics and traumatology (ERN BOND); gastrointestinal malformation pediatric surgery (ERNICA); urology, urological malformations and genital disease (ERN eUROGEN); ophthalmology (ERN EYE); and cognitive behavioural disease, specifically the neurology and genetics departments (ERN ITHACA).