RESUMO
'Watchful waiting' for glue ear in children within primary care as a precursor or alternative to surgery is one of the increasing pressures on general practitioners (GPs) to limit outpatient referrals. An equipment survey questions whether primary care is properly equipped to 'watch', given the limited access to audiological equipment that might objectively underpin a decision on when 'waiting' should end.
Assuntos
Medicina de Família e Comunidade , Otite Média com Derrame/terapia , Audiometria , Criança , Humanos , Padrões de Prática MédicaAssuntos
Neoplasias , Pediatria , Criança , Serviços de Saúde da Criança , Terapia Combinada , Humanos , Neoplasias/diagnóstico , Neoplasias/terapia , Papel do Médico , Médicos de Família , TexasRESUMO
In 1978, in the course of a trial, health visitors in the North and South Nottingham Health Districts asked parents on two occasions 'Do you think your child is hearing normally?'. In that and the following year there was an abrupt increase in referrals of children under one year of age suspected of hearing impairments, which was not observed in the other Health Districts of the Nottinghamshire AHA. There was also an increase in the number of children under one year who were confirmed as having impaired hearing or needing surveillance. It is concluded that the active questioning by health visitors beneficially increased the number of referrals of deaf and other problem children.