Parental preferences for paediatric specialty follow-up care.

Conclusion Most parents attending paediatric out-patient appointments prefer to return for follow-up care; however, a paediatrician's advice may have an important role in return of paediatric patients to primary care.What is known about the topic? In Australia, there has been a growing concern regarding long waiting times for specialist consultations in out-patient clinics and difficulties with access for new patients. This has occurred when the ratio of review attendees to new patients has tipped towards the review attendees.What does this paper add? Most parents of children attending paediatric out-patient clinics value follow-up care with paediatric specialists, even if the referring GP requested a return to their surgery. The advice of the consulting paediatrician in support of follow-up care with a GP contributes significantly to the willingness of parents to return to primary care and to seek treatment from their GP for a slight worsening of their child's condition.What are the implications for practitioners? The findings of the present study have significant implications for the discharge of patients from speciality care: paediatricians can have an important role in the return of paediatric patients to primary care. PMID: 27444417 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Australian Health Review - Category: Hospital Management Authors: Tags: Aust Health Rev Source Type: research