Parent's confused over children's health: 1 in 4 visit A&E for minor ailments

Statistics show that 1 in 4 of parents would take their child to A&E if they had a skin rash or a fever and some parents (3%) will take a child with a cough to A&E.

These results - from a survey conducted by the Consumer Health Information Centre (CHIC) and Developing Patient Partnerships (DPP) - show that many parents are unsure who to turn to when their child is taken ill, with many overestimating the seriousness of the condition.

Anyone who has a child, or has come in contact with children knows that they pick up a whole host of ailments through contact with other children. This is inevitable, and is an essential step in the formation of a healthy immune system. However, a parent's perception of the seriousness of the symptoms plays a large part in where they seek advice and help.

CHIC and DPP survey results show that over a third (39%) of parents worry about their child catching ailments at school with 49% of parents saying it is very likely that their child will catch something during the school term. This finding is not unfounded as the survey results show that in the last year, 43% of children have suffered from diarrhoea and 85% have caught a cough/cold or flu. Pharmacists are experts in medicines advice and can easily deal with these common ailments, but many parents visit their GP or A&E when their child has a minor ailment:

Between 20-40% of a GP's time is spent consulting on minor ailments for the general population 30-40% of A&E attendees are suffering from a minor illness or minor injury

46% of prescriptions from out-of-hours primary care services (GP visits) are for over the counter medicines. In this recent survey for children, GPs say the most common out-of-hours call for GPs is for the treatment of earache.

Often, for parents, their GP is the first point of call when their child becomes ill: 64% of parents would consult their GP if their child got worms for instance, but most GPs would advise a parent to visit their pharmacist for treatment and advice.

However, it would appear that when parents are confident in their diagnosis of a child's ailments, then they are confident self-treaters: 99% of parents are happy to treat children's ailments with over-the-counter remedies. Over a third of parents (38%) prefer some guidance on children's medications, and this is readily available in the form of the local pharmacist.

To support parents dealing with their child's minor ailments, CHIC and DPP have produced a booklet 'Caring for Kids - a self-care guide to childhood ailments'. The booklet takes parents through common ailments, what symptoms to look out for and how to treat the condition.

Commenting on the initiative Dr Simon Fradd, Chairman, Developing Patient Partnership said: "Knowing what action to take when their child is ill depends on parents having a good idea of whether their child's symptoms are severe or minor. Health professionals play an important role in helping parents to know what services to use and how to self care. NHS Direct offers 24 hour advice on what to do when your child is ill and pharmacists are an excellent source of expert advice on medicines and minor ailments."

For a free booklet on 'Caring for Kids', call the CHIC helpline on 020 7761 1803 or to download a copy of the booklet, visit the website at http://www.chic.org.uk/