Activities in the field of neurology

Neurology is a branch of medicine that studies and treats the disorders and diseases related to the brains and the nervous system. The Pirkanmaa region’s first neurology ward opened its doors in the Pitkäniemi Hospital in 1964 on the initiative of professor Erik Anttinen. The Tampere Central Hospital obtained a department of neurology in 1972. In Pikonlinna neurological patients in rehabilitation had use of the facilities of the orthopedic department to some extent. In connection with the Piko project the neurological clinic was expanded into Pikonlinna on Aug 1st, 1988, when internal medicine diagnostics and treatment ward 25 B began to treat neurological patients exclusively. The reasons behind the conversion of the ward 25B were related to changes in the population’s needs and progress in medicine, in this case the advances made in the diagnostics and treatment of neurological disorders. In practice the change was most evident when the diagnostics and treatment of disorders of the cerebral blood flow were transferred from the specialty of internal medicine to the specialty of neurology also in Finland. The Piko project’s coordinator representing neurology was assistant chief dr. Terttu Erilä.

Ward 25 B moved into the newly renovated Z 1 building in Tampere in June 2006. The reasons behind moving lay on the need for centralization and the elimination of overlapping functions. Without dispute the move proved beneficial to the staff and indirectly also to patients, because physicians and nurses spent less of their working hours commuting back and forth between Tampere and Kangasala for training, development and patient care meetings. It was thought that the co-operation between departments would improve and intensify. A scenario was put forth where the resources and expertise of the hospital’s other specialties and medical services could be made use of in the diagnostics and treatment of neurological patients when needed. The functions of ward 24 B were also transferred to the Z 1 building, but not until the end of the year 2008. Neurology was practiced in Pikonlinna for 20 years altogether, from 1988 to 2008. During that time the chief nurse’s post was held by ms.Terttu Munnukka and Health Sciences PhD holder ms. Hannele Hiidenhovi;  other staff included professor Harry Frey as chief physician, adjunct professor Gábor Molnár and professor Irina Elovaara.