Our faith in GPs falling

PARENTS’ lack of faith in general practitioners to care for their children’s health may partly be driving overcrowding of hospital emergency departments, a new study has found.

The first national survey of parental attitudes to GPs has revealed fewer than half had complete confidence in GPs to provide overall general healthcare to their child.

The University of Melbourne survey of 2100 parents’ attitudes to GPs’ handling of a child’s “general health” found that only 44 per cent had complete confidence; 45 per cent were only mostly confident.