Trust a mother's instinct on sick children, GPs told

03.02.10

A mother's instinct is usually right if she believes her child may be dangerously ill, say experts.

Doctors are being told to treat parents' fears and concerns seriously because they know their child best.

In fact, a parent's instinct that something is wrong has been added to a list of signs that every doctor should look for when dealing with sick children.

'As a GP, it's important to always be alert to parents who are especially concerned about their child,' said researcher Dr Matthew Thompson, one of a team of doctors who flagged up the warning signs.

'We should usually trust parents' instincts. After all, they will have nursed their child through many minor illnesses before and often can tell when something is different.'

Doctors should also trust their own gut feeling when trying to identify between a child with a serious infection and those with just a cold or cough, according to the advice.

They should always check a sick child's temperature - a once basic procedure which is not always carried out.

The advice, published in The Lancet medical journal, says serious infections-such as meningitis, pneumonia or sepsis are rare in developed countries and difficult to diagnose.

But rapid detection improves the chances of prompt referral to hospital, which can be life-saving.

'For doctors, it's a bit like finding a needle in a haystack,' said Dr Thompson, who works at the Department of Primary Health Care at Oxford University.

'Serious infections are rare and getting increasingly rarer thanks to vaccinations. Identifying that one child out of all those many with minor ailments is difficult.

'It is complicated further as the child may be seen at an early stage of infection before it is possible to recognise its severity.'

Among 'red flag' warnings signs are rapid breathing, poor blood circulation to the skin and extremities, and rashes of small purple red spots, as well as high temperatures of over 40c.

But the absence of these clinical signs should not rule out serious illness, say the researchers.

Read the full article in the Daily Mail.

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