Parents need information about minor ailments and self-limiting conditions
Many parents are unsure to which health care professional they should turn when their children are ill, a new survey has revealed.
The survey of 304 parents, conducted by the Consumer Health Information
Centre (CHIC), which is operated by the Proprietary Association of Great
Britain, and Developing Patient Partnerships showed that one in four
parents would take a child to accident and emergency or would dial 999
if the child had a high temperature, and 3 per cent of parents would
take a child to accident and emergency or dial 999 if he or she had a
cough. If their child had a headache, 12 per cent of parents would take
the same action. The results suggest that parents have difficulty deciding
whether children need emergency treatment or a visit to the general practitioner
or when the pharmacist could help.
Parents also tend to overestimate the seriousness of minor conditions.
For example, 64 per cent of parents surveyed said they would consult
their GP if a child had worms, although most GPs would advise a parent
to visit their pharmacist for treatment and advice. Almost half of parents
were not aware you could get a treatment for worms from pharmacies. However,
99 per cent of parents said that with appropriate guidance they would
be happy to treat a child’s minor ailments themselves with over-the-counter
products. CHIC and DPP are now launching a “managing minor ailments” campaign
that includes an information booklet called ‘Caring for kids — a
self-care guide to childhood ailments’, designed to explain the
symptoms of the most common minor ailments and how they should be treated.
The campaign will be run through DPP member GP practices and primary
care trusts.
Despite continuing drives to promote self-care, GPs still spend 20–40
per cent of their time consulting on minor ailments for the general population,
and currently 46 per cent of prescriptions from out-of-hours primary
care services are for over-the-counter medicines.
Free copies of the booklet on childhood ailments
can be obtained from CHIC on 020 7761 1803, or at www.chic.org.uk
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