Why some children hospitalized for pneumonia do not consult with a general practitioner before the day of hospitalization

Crocker, Joanna C., Evans, Meirion Rhys ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3578-1866, Powell, Colin Victor Eric, Hood, Kerenza ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5268-8631 and Butler, Christopher Collett ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0102-3453 2013. Why some children hospitalized for pneumonia do not consult with a general practitioner before the day of hospitalization. European Journal of General Practice 19 (4) , pp. 213-220. 10.3109/13814788.2013.795538

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Abstract

BACKGROUND: Early consultation in primary care may provide an opportunity for early intervention in children developing pneumonia, but little is known about why some children do not consult a general practitioner (GP) before hospitalization. OBJECTIVES: To identify differences between children who consulted a GP and children who did not consult a GP before the day of hospital presentation with pneumonia or empyema. METHODS: Carers of children aged six months to 16 years presenting to hospital with pneumonia or empyema completed a questionnaire, with a subset participating in an interview to identify physical, organizational and psychological barriers to consultation. Responses from those who had consulted a GP before the day of hospital presentation were compared with those who had not on a range of medical, social and environmental variables. RESULTS: Fifty seven (38%) of 151 participants had not consulted a GP before the day of hospital presentation. On multivariate analysis, illness duration ≥ 3 days (odds ratio [OR] 4.36, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.67-11.39), prior antibiotic use (OR: 10.35, 95% CI: 2.16-49.55) and home ownership (OR: 3.17, 95% CI: 1.07-9.37) were significantly associated with early GP consultation (P < 0.05). Interviews with 28 carers whose children had not seen a GP before the day of presentation revealed that most had not considered it and/or did not think their child's initial symptoms were serious or unusual; 11 (39.3%) had considered consulting a GP but reported barriers to access. CONCLUSION: Lack of early GP consultation was strongly associated with rapid evolution of pneumonia.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Schools > Medicine Research Institutes & Centres > Systems Immunity Research Institute (SIURI)
Subjects:	R Medicine > R Medicine (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, Empyema, Female, General Practitioners, Health Services Accessibility, Hospitalization, Humans, Infant, Male, Multivariate Analysis, Pneumonia, Primary Health Care, Questionnaires, Referral.
Publisher:	Informa Healthcare
ISSN:	1381-4788
Last Modified:	27 Oct 2022 08:54
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/63739

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