Parents of pediatric patients tend to value physician interpersonal skills and skills specific to child visits, according to a study published in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
Researchers administered the Press Ganey Medical Practice survey to parents and analyzed 195 surveys from 18 surgical specialty clinics that had comments in the "Your Physician" section to determine elements parents deemed the most important to their child's care.
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Here are six statistics on parent-reported experiences regarding their pediatric physicians.
1. Forty-seven percent of parents noted physician technical skills, knowledge and preparation in their comments.
2. The most common technical skills parents noted were answering questions (16 percent) and explaining treatment (23 percent).
3. Inadequate explanation of treatment was the most common negative theme for physician technical skills, at 18 percent.
4. The second most common theme was physician interpersonal style, accounting for 45 percent of parent comments.
5. Of those interpersonal style comments, 29 percent of parents discussed empathy and concern for the patients needs and 20 percent of parents discussed interaction and inclusion with the child.
6. Most comments related to systems, 93 percent, were negative.
Researchers said the majority, 90 percent, of parents' general comments were positive, and the high recurrence of parents mentioning interpersonal and technical skills indicates parents place high value on such considerations.
Researchers suggest analyzing parent-submitted experiences may help improve overall care and communication.
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