An evaluation of parental concerns and misperceptions about heart murmurs.

This study sought to determine the extent of anxiety and misperceptions about heart murmurs for consenting parents of 182 children referred for first-time pediatric cardiology assessment (including echocardiography) of a heart murmur. From questionnaires completed before assessment, 22% of parents indicated that they were extremely concerned, and only 16% could define a heart murmur as a sound made by the heart. From 1-month follow-up questionnaires obtained from parents of children without heart disease at assessment, 10% continued to believe that their child had a heart problem. Cardiology assessment may not provide complete reassurance to all families and additional interventions may be necessary.