Parents’ worries that something could be wrong with their child are to be taken seriously, doctors have been told, reports the Telegraph.
“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,” said Dr Matthew Thompson, one of the researchers of the advice published in the medical journal The Lancet.
Serious illnesses, like meningitis or pneumonia, are uncommon in developed countries and hard to diagnose in children. “For doctors, it's a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Serious infections are rare and getting increasingly rarer thanks to vaccinations,” commented co-author Dr Matthew Thompson, from Oxford University.
The researchers want to create guidelines for GPs so that children with infections are sent to hospital fast – and only when necessary.
