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Health care of physicians' children
R C Wasserman1, B M Hassuk, P C Young
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington.
Insights
Physicians
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Healthcare
- Physician Family Dynamics
Background:
- Anecdotal evidence suggests challenges in healthcare for physicians' children.
- No systematic studies have previously investigated this issue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if and how the healthcare of physicians' children differs from children of similar socioeconomic status.
- To identify specific differences and underlying reasons in pediatric care for physicians' offspring.
Main Methods:
- Structured interviews were conducted with pediatricians in a high-density physician community.
- 94% of the community's 33 pediatricians participated, with demonstrated test-retest reliability for the interview.
Main Results:
- Physicians' children experienced delayed help-seeking and more self-referrals to specialists.
- Pediatricians showed poorer psychosocial history documentation, less detailed instructions, and reluctance to discuss behavioral issues.
- Reasons included assumptions about medical knowledge, role confusion (healer vs. help-seeker), and colleague embarrassment.
Conclusions:
- Systematic differences exist in pediatric care for physicians' children.
- Awareness and open communication between pediatricians and physician parents are crucial to address these healthcare disparities.
Abstract:
In anecdotal reports, problems have been cited in the health care of physicians' children, but no systematic study of this issue has been attempted. Pediatricians in a community of high physician density were interviewed to determine whether and how the health care of physicians' children differs from that of children of equivalent socioeconomic status. Of the community's 33 pediatricians, 94% responded to items in a 45-minute structured interview, for which test-retest reliability was demonstrated. Systematic differences in the care of physicians' children included delayed help seeking and increased self-referral to specialists by parents, and poor documentation of psychosocial history, less detailed instruction giving, and a reluctance to discuss problem behavior by pediatricians. Reasons cited by pediatricians for these problems included inappropriate assumptions concerning the medical knowledge of the physician's family, confusion between the roles of healer and help seeker, and embarrassment about discussing personal issues with colleagues. Pediatricians and physician parents need to become aware of and communicate about the potential for problems in the health care of physicians' children.