Why parents bring their children with minor health problems to their family practitioners: An unmatched case-control study.

BACKGROUND: Parents' of young children who frequently attend primary health care (PHC) services for mild health problems (MHPs) can present a complex and difficult challenge for staff. This phenomenon can expose the child to inappropriate overprescribing, unnecessary medical interventions and may impair the quality of life of parents and children. AIM: To define driving factors for frequent attenders (FAs) preschool children in PHC services in Kuwait. DESIGN AND SETTING: An unmatched case-control study was conducted in the PHC setting in Kuwait. METHOD: A sample comprised of 300 parents from 10 PHC centres was selected. The top third children with higher frequency (FAs) visits to their family practitioners (FPs) were compared with the lower third with lower frequency (NFAs) visits to their FPs during the same duration. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ) was used to assess parents' response to their children's illness. The sociodemographic data for both groups were collected. Culture and background heath status for child and family were collected (order of the child in the family, if the family is living with the extended family and additional help received regarding childcare). The previous medical history of parent, child, and siblings was also included. RESULTS: The mean number of consultations in FAs versus NFAs within the previous year was 15.5 ± 7.6 and 4.3 ± 2.1, respectively. There was no significant difference in means between the two groups of parents in responses to the questions of the adapted Brief IPQ. FAs were more likely to be the first-order child (odds ratio (OR) 2.4; 95% confidence interval (CI) =1.2-4.6), have chronic disease (OR 4.7; 95% CI = 2.1-10.6), and live with the extended family (OR 1.8; 95% CI = 1.1-3.3). They experienced an acute, potentially life-threatening episode previously (OR 2.6; 95% CI = 1.1-6.4), with the same applying to a sibling (OR 72.6; 1.2-6.2) or parent (OR 2.6; CI = 1.1-6.4). CONCLUSION: Identification of the hidden reasons that affect parents' decisions to consult their FPs frequently for their children's MHPs were important predictors for defining preschool FAs children in the PHC centres and can help the staff provide effective management plans to help them.

Clinical audits in a postgraduate general practice training program: an evaluation of 8 years' experience.

BACKGROUND: Clinical audit can be of valuable assistance to any program which aims to improve the quality of health care and its delivery. Yet without a coherent strategy aimed at evaluating audits' effectiveness, valuable opportunities will be overlooked. Clinical audit projects are required as a part of the formative assessment of trainees in the Family Medicine Residency Program (FMRP) in Kuwait. This study was undertaken to draw a picture of trainees' understanding of the audit project with attention to the knowledge of audit theory and its educational significance and scrutinize the difficulties confronted during the experience. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The materials included the records of 133 audits carried out by trainees and 165 post course questionnaires carried out between 2004 and 2011. They were reviewed and analyzed. The majority of audit projects were performed on diabetic (44.4%) and hypertensive (38.3%) care. Regarding audits done on diabetic care, they were carried out to assess doctors' awareness about screening for smoking status (8.6%), microalbuminuria (19.3%), hemoglobin A1c (15.5%), retinopathy (10.3%), dyslipidemia (15.8%), peripheral neuropathy (8.8%), and other problems (21.7%). As for audits concerning hypertensive care, they were carried out to assess doctors' awareness about screening for smoking status (38.0%), obesity (26.0%), dyslipidemia (12.0%), microalbuminuria (10.0%) and other problems (14.0%). More than half the participants (68.48%) who attended the audit course stated that they 'definitely agreed' about understanding the meaning of clinical audit. Most of them (75.8%) 'definitely agreed' about realizing the importance of clinical audit in improving patients' care. About half (49.7%) of them 'agreed' that they can distinguish between 'criteria' and 'standards'. CONCLUSION: The eight years of experience were beneficial. Trainees showed a good understanding of the idea behind auditing the services provided. They demonstrated their ability to improve the care given in health centers in which these projects were undertaken.

Cultural factors and patients' adherence to lifestyle measures.

BACKGROUND: Non-adherence to preventive and therapeutic lifestyle recommendations among patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease is more prevalent and varied than previously thought. The problem needs to be addressed by those who are involved in the care of these patients. AIM: To measure adherence and barriers of complying with lifestyle recommendations among patients with high cardiovascular risk factors. DESIGN OF STUDY: Prospective study. SETTING: Six family-practice health centres in Kuwait. METHOD: Data are from 334 Kuwaiti adult males and females with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or both, who completed a routine clinic visit in one of six family practice centres. Trained staff used a structured questionnaire to obtain a detailed medical history regarding exercise habits and barriers to compliance with diet and exercise programmes. Clinical criteria assessed were height, weight, and the control of blood pressure and blood sugar. RESULTS: From the study sample, 63.5% of patients reported that they were not adhering to any diet regimen, 64.4% were not participating in regular exercise, and 90.4% were overweight and obese. The main barriers to adherence to diet were unwillingness (48.6%), difficulty adhering to a diet different from that of the rest of the family (30.2%), and social gatherings (13.7%). The main barriers to adherence to exercise were lack of time (39.0%), coexisting diseases (35.6%), and adverse weather conditions (27.8%). Factors interfering with adherence to lifestyle measures among the total sample were traditional Kuwaiti food, which is high in fat and calories (79.9%), stress (70.7%), a high consumption of fast food (54.5%), high frequency of social gatherings (59.6%), abundance of maids (54.1%), and excessive use of cars (83.8%). CONCLUSION: The majority of individuals in the sample were overweight, did not engage in recommended levels of physical activity, and did not follow dietary recommendations. Additional cultural and demographic variables need to be considered to improve adherence to lifestyle measures.