TY - JOUR
T1 - An analysis of childhood consultations in general practice
T2 - a multi-practice study
AU - O’Doherty, Jane
AU - Hannigan, Ailish
AU - Hickey, Louise
AU - Cullen, Walter
AU - O’Gorman, Clodagh
AU - O’Connor, Ray
AU - Glynn, Liam
AU - O’Neill, Eimear
AU - O’Regan, Andrew
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Royal Academy of Medicine in Ireland.
PY - 2019/11/1
Y1 - 2019/11/1
N2 - Background: The majority of illnesses in children are managed by general practitioners (GPs) and there is a need for up to date data on consultations with children in order to improve healthcare service planning and allocation of resources. Aims: To investigate the presenting symptoms, diagnoses and actions taken by the GP at consultations with children in general practice. Methods: Senior medical students on general practice placement and their GP supervisors used practice management software to collect data on 100 randomly selected patients aged between 12 months and 14 years of age in each practice. Presenting symptoms, diagnoses and actions taken by the GP for the most recent attendance in the previous 12 months were summarised by age group (1–4 years; 5–10 years; 11–14 years). Results: Data were collected from 5959 patients at 64 practices. During the 12-month study, 3241 (54%) of children had a consultation with their GP. The most common presenting symptoms were respiratory (1–4 yrs, 28%; 5–10 yrs, 39%; 11–14 yrs, 32%) and skin complaint (1–4 yrs, 13%; 5–10 yrs, 16%; 11–14 yrs, 21%). The most common actions for all age groups were prescribing (1–4 yrs, 55%; 5–10 yrs, 58%; 11–14 yrs, 56%) and providing reassurance (1–4 yrs, 53%; 5–10 yrs, 51%; 11–14 yrs, 48%). Rates of referral and requiring further investigation increased with age. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive snapshot of what children commonly present with in general practice, common diagnoses and the actions taken by GPs. The findings will help GPs to organise their practice systems and will inform healthcare service planners.
AB - Background: The majority of illnesses in children are managed by general practitioners (GPs) and there is a need for up to date data on consultations with children in order to improve healthcare service planning and allocation of resources. Aims: To investigate the presenting symptoms, diagnoses and actions taken by the GP at consultations with children in general practice. Methods: Senior medical students on general practice placement and their GP supervisors used practice management software to collect data on 100 randomly selected patients aged between 12 months and 14 years of age in each practice. Presenting symptoms, diagnoses and actions taken by the GP for the most recent attendance in the previous 12 months were summarised by age group (1–4 years; 5–10 years; 11–14 years). Results: Data were collected from 5959 patients at 64 practices. During the 12-month study, 3241 (54%) of children had a consultation with their GP. The most common presenting symptoms were respiratory (1–4 yrs, 28%; 5–10 yrs, 39%; 11–14 yrs, 32%) and skin complaint (1–4 yrs, 13%; 5–10 yrs, 16%; 11–14 yrs, 21%). The most common actions for all age groups were prescribing (1–4 yrs, 55%; 5–10 yrs, 58%; 11–14 yrs, 56%) and providing reassurance (1–4 yrs, 53%; 5–10 yrs, 51%; 11–14 yrs, 48%). Rates of referral and requiring further investigation increased with age. Conclusion: This study provides a comprehensive snapshot of what children commonly present with in general practice, common diagnoses and the actions taken by GPs. The findings will help GPs to organise their practice systems and will inform healthcare service planners.
KW - Attendances
KW - Children
KW - Consultations
KW - General practitioners
KW - Outcomes
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85061404758&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11845-019-01982-0
DO - 10.1007/s11845-019-01982-0
M3 - Article
C2 - 30746587
AN - SCOPUS:85061404758
SN - 0021-1265
VL - 188
SP - 1239
EP - 1244
JO - Irish Journal of Medical Science
JF - Irish Journal of Medical Science
IS - 4
ER -