LAUSR

AIM The aim of the study was to determine parents' views in regions distant to medical care (dtmc) vs. close to medical care (ctmc) on (1) the assessment of situation in pediatric care and (2) on delegation of medical tasks to qualified members of non-medical health professions. METHOD A self-developed questionnaire was sent to parents in kindergartens, who are either nearby (=close to the medical care provider, ctmc) or more than 20 km away from the nearest pediatric practice and a pediatrics department (=distant to the medical care provider, dtmc). The questions covered socio-demographic, pediatric-care-related aspects and attitudes to delegation of defined medical tasks to non-medical health professionals. RESULTS Of the n=407 evaluable questionnaires (response rate: 18%), 49% came from parents in ctmc-kindergartens and 51% from parents in dtmc-kindergartens. Significant differences were found in the number of children living in the household (ctmc: 21% with 3 or more children vs. dtmc:13%; p-value 0,044), years of education of parents (ctmc: 50% had more than 10 years vs. dtmc: 39%; p-value 0.026), the number of visits to doctor (ctmc: 50% presented her child 4 or more times to a doctor in the last 12 months vs. dtmc: 32%; p-value <0.001) and the kind of medical doctor present (dtmc: in 51% a pediatrician vs. ctmc: 87%; p-value <0.001). The distance to the doctor was significantly different (p-value <0.001) and parents in dtmc-kindergartens perceived more often problems in pediatric health care (dtmc: 61% confirmed problems vs. ctmc: 47%; p-value 0.032). Dtmc-kindergarten-parents more often approved delegation for all of the defined and proposed medical tasks. CONCLUSIONS The results show clear differences between the survey regions. To support pediatric care in regions distant to medical care facilities, innovative care concepts are needed. The positive attitude of the majority of parents on the subject of delegation forms a good basis for the development of concrete concepts and their practical testing in pilot projects.