We lament the closure of the journal Acta Pediátrica Española reported by Drs. Moreno-Villares and Dalmau-Serra in their letter to the editor1 after 77 years of contribution through the publication in Spanish of original articles and reviews in the field of paediatrics.
As was the case of Vox Paediatrica,2 we did not see the name of our journal in the list of paediatric journals published in Spain. The FAPap journal (Formación Activa en Pediatría de Atención Primaria [Active Training in Primary Care Paediatrics]; https://fapap.es/) is published by the Asociación Española de Pediatría de Atención Primaria (AEPap, Spanish Association of Primary Care Paediatrics). It publishes 4 online issues a year since 2008 in addition to an annual monographic issue since 2015. Access to the contents published in the last 5 years is only available by subscription, offering the option to obtain official credits, but is free for previous issues.
The articles in FAPap are devoted to the review, development and updating of information of subjects relevant to the training of paediatricians, residents in paediatrics and other professionals that work in paediatric primary care. The journal is led by primary care (PC) paediatricians members of the Medical Intern-Resident (MIR) Education Group of the AEPap. Articles are commissioned to experts while also accepting submissions from authors entering the field, always focused on the PC setting and its particular needs. They are developed and organised based on the different competence areas that form the curriculum in PC paediatrics,3 established by consensus by the European countries members of European Confederation of Primary Care Paediatricians (ECPCP; https://www.ecpcp.eu/) and endorsed by the European Academy of Paediatrics. This curriculum defines the different areas that paediatrics residents and paediatricians need to master in order to achieve excellence in the delivery of PC. Organizing the articles in this way helps students be aware of the competencies they are working on and reviewing in each activity. FAPap has been adopted by several autonomous communities as an educational tool for professionals responsible for the care of the paediatric population at the PC level.
The mission of this publication is to serve as a tool for learning and disseminating up-to-date evidence, sharing its objectives with other journals like Pediatría Integral, Adolescere or the now discontinued Anales de Pediatría Continuada. The preparation and submission of a review article, of clinical reports, of the rationale and the literature review undertaken to approach a case, etc., for educational purposes is also a learning experience and an additional merit for accredited paediatricians or paediatricians in training. The section titled “resident’s corner” encourages the latter to present special cases under the supervision, encouragement and guidance of their superiors.
In addition to its focus on training in different areas of paediatrics, the FAPap also contributes opportunities for Spanish paediatricians to publish their work in the Spanish language.
In regard to Acta Pediátrica, we pronounce the following words of the Hippocratic Oath: “I will give to my teachers the respect and gratitude which is their due”.4
