Young children’s dissatisfaction with the way they are treated by doctors could be due in part to the transition from care by specialists to general practitioners, according to a leading paediatrician.
A recent study found that more than one-third of eight-year-old pupils were not satisfied with the way they were treated by their doctors.
Victor Grech, an associate professor of paediatrics at the University of Malta, told the Times of Malta that, in practice, the vast majority of patients seen to by paediatricians in private practice were six years old or younger.
“I would suggest that part of the problem identified in the study is due to children of that age [around eight years old] being treated by GPs who are not specifically trained in dealing with children,” Prof. Grech said.
That branch of medicine tends to attract people who like children and get on well with them, and in recent years we’ve seen a big emphasis at the hospital on improving the way we treat children
This view, however, was disputed by Daryl Xuereb from the Malta College of Family Doctors, who said the long-term relationship GPs developed with child patients allowed them to build up a rapport that made care easier and more comfortable for children.
Dr Xuereb said that, among younger doctors in particular, practices were changing rapidly. Patient histories, for example, are now taken from children as well as parents, allowing the child an opportunity to express themselves and bring to light issues that may otherwise have remained hidden.
Moreover, he added, many GPs received specialised training in patient communication, which included a particular focus on communication with children.
According to the study, when compared to their international peers in the other 15 countries that conducted similar research, Maltese eight-year-olds’ level of satisfaction with their doctors ranked bottom.
The authors noted that the findings pointed towards issues with Maltese doctors’ behaviour and their rapport with children, stressing the need for a more child-friendly relationship with young patients.
“If the findings are true, then it’s very surprising and disappointing,” said Gordon Caruana Dingli, president of the Medical Association of Malta.
“That branch of medicine tends to attract people who like children and get on well with them, and in recent years we’ve seen a big emphasis at the hospital on improving the way we treat children.”
Dr Caruana Dingli pointed to developments such as the children’s emergency ward, as well as initiatives like Dr Klown, aimed at helping children undergoing medical treatment.
He added that children might not always be the best judges of their own medical care: “It may be better to speak to the parents.
“With children of that age, if you give them a vaccine, they’re not going to like the doctor.”