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Characteristics of children consulting for cough, sore throat, or earache
Johannes H J M Uijen1, Huug J van Duijn, Marijke M Kuyvenhoven
1Department of General Practice, Erasmus MC, University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. j.uijen@erasmusmc.nl
Insights
Young children with respiratory symptoms like cough or sore throat are more likely to see a general practitioner (GP) when they have fever, longer-lasting symptoms, or parental worry. GP characteristics did not influence consultation rates.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- General Practice
- Public Health
Background:
- General practitioners (GPs) frequently manage pediatric respiratory tract symptoms.
- Understanding factors influencing GP consultations for these common childhood illnesses is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify characteristics of children, parents, and GPs associated with consulting a GP for pediatric cough, sore throat, or earache.
- To inform better guidance and reassurance for self-limiting respiratory conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice (DNSGP-2).
- Included a health interview and additional questionnaires for patients (children aged 0-17) and GPs.
- Employed multivariate logistic regression for data analysis.
Main Results:
- Younger children, those with fever, longer symptom duration, perceived poorer health, and urban residence were more likely to consult a GP.
- Parental worry and external cues significantly increased GP consultation rates.
- No GP-specific characteristics were found to be associated with consultation decisions.
Conclusions:
- The study highlights the importance of understanding parental and child factors in the decision to consult a GP for respiratory symptoms.
- Awareness of these determinants can help GPs provide more effective advice and reassurance for generally self-limiting childhood illnesses.
Background:
GPs are often consulted for respiratory tract symptoms in children.
Aim:
To explore characteristics of children, their parents, and their GPs that are correlated with consulting a GP for cough, sore throat, or earache.
Design Of Study:
Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice (DNSGP-2) with a health interview and an additional questionnaire.
Setting:
Children aged 0-17 years registered with 122 GPs in Dutch general practice.
Method:
Characteristics of patients and their GPs were derived from the DNSGP-2 health interview and a questionnaire, respectively. Characteristics of the illness symptoms and GP consultation were acquired by means of an additional questionnaire. Data were analysed using multivariate logistic regression.
Results:
Of all children who completed the questionnaire, 550 reported cough, sore throat, or earache in the 2 weeks preceding the interview with 147 of them consulting their GP. Young children more frequently consulted the GP for respiratory symptoms, as did children with fever, longer duration of symptoms, those reporting their health to be 'poor to good', and living in an urban area. When parents were worried, and when a child or their parents were cued by someone else, the GP was also consulted more often. GP-related determinants were not associated with GP consultation by children.
Conclusion:
This study emphasises the importance of establishing the reasons behind children with respiratory tract symptoms consulting their GP. When GPs are aware of possible determinants of the decision to consult a GP, more appropriate advice and reassurance can be given regarding these respiratory symptoms, which are generally self-limiting.
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