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Risk of illness after exposure to a pediatric office
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Pediatrician office visits do not increase illness risk in young children. A study found no significant difference in illness rates between children visiting a doctor and those staying home, suggesting offices are not a major source of common infections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric infectious diseases
- Public health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Pediatrician offices are common settings for young children's visits.
- Concerns exist regarding potential disease transmission in these environments.
- Understanding transmission risks is crucial for child health maintenance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the risk of acquiring communicable diseases in well children following a pediatrician visit.
- To compare illness incidence in children exposed to a pediatric office versus a control group.
Main Methods:
- Prospective cohort study conducted during winter 1983-1984.
- 127 children aged 3 years and under in an office group were compared to matched controls in a home group.
- Illness occurrence (respiratory, gastrointestinal, fever) in the week post-visit was monitored.
Main Results:
- The adjusted relative risk of illness for the office group was 0.95 (95% CI, 0.66-1.37).
- This indicates no statistically significant increase in illness among children visiting the pediatrician.
- No significant difference in illness rates was observed between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- Exposure to a pediatrician's office is not a significant cause of common infections in young children with short incubation periods.
- Pediatric office visits for well-child care do not appear to pose a substantial risk for acquiring common communicable diseases.
- Further research could explore longer incubation period illnesses or specific high-risk settings.
Abstract:
To determine whether well children visiting a pediatrician's office are at risk of acquiring common communicable diseases, we conducted a prospective cohort study during the winter of 1983-1984. The occurrence of respiratory or gastrointestinal illness or fever in young children in the week after a visit to a pediatric office (office group) was compared with the occurrence of these illnesses in a similar group of children (home group) not exposed to the office during the study period. One home comparison subject was matched by age and sex to each of 127 children three years of age and under who were seen for well-child care in a private pediatric office with a common waiting room. The adjusted relative risk of the development of illness during the study week for the office group as compared with the home group was 0.95 (95 per cent confidence interval, 0.66 to 1.37), indicating no effect. We conclude that exposure to a pediatric office is not an important cause of the common infections in young children that have incubation periods of a week or less.