Do general practitioners and health visitors like 'parent held' child health records?

The study examines the reactions of general practitioners and health visitors to parents holding the main record of their own child's health and development. From 1986 the parents in part of the Oxfordshire district were given their child's records while in the other part of the health district the records remained with the clinic. The responses to questionnaires sent out to all general practitioners and health visitors in the two areas were analysed and compared. The results show that over 90% of the general practitioners and health visitors with experience of parent held records are in favour of them, wish to continue to use them, find them to be available in the clinic and are able to use them at other times. By comparison only 59% of those general practitioners who had no experience of parent held records are in favour of such a scheme. In general this latter group show greater concern in almost all areas investigated. Thus general practitioners' and health visitors' experience of the record suggests that it is not only workable but actually desirable.