From the other side: parents' views of their early contacts with health professionals.

The parents of 84 school-age children with cerebral palsy were interviewed about their early experiences of dealing with health professionals. Seventy per cent of families expressed dissatisfaction with some aspects of their contact with the health services during the initial period of diagnosis and referral. Lack of explanation, either about the child's condition or the reasons for follow-up, was the commonest complaint (58%), followed by having their worries dismissed by doctors and the need to make repeated visits before their child's problem was recognized (51%). Twenty per cent complained about the manner in which they had been told about their child's disability and 5% were critical of the lack of understanding on the part of doctors of the practical difficulties they faced. A high level of dissatisfaction was found among parents of children who had recognized perinatal problems but dissatisfaction was not found to be proportional to the severity of the child's handicap. Ways in which the quality and delivery of services could be improved are discussed.