Randomised controlled trial of effect of Baby Check on use of health services in first 6 months of life

Baby Check can improve the quality of a consultation

Baby Check is a booklet designed to help parents know when their babies are ill and when to visit the doctor and aims to reassure parents about minor illness. A randomised trial conducted in the Greater Glasgow area by Thomson et al shows that routine distribution of Baby Check to mothers does not affect how often they consult GPs or health visitors.

The authors were not aiming to affect consultation rates but an editorial by David Jewell of the Department of Social Medicine at the University of Bristol argues that it is probably not worthwhile aiming to reduce consultation rates for the vulnerable age group of babies under six months. Dr Jewell argues that Baby Check may empower parents to have better consultations with their GPs and has proved its ability to identify serious illness accurately. Both Dr Jewell and Drs Thomson et al express concern at the high level of antibiotic prescribing for babies under six months

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Contact: Jill Shepherd
jshepherd@bma.org.uk
44-171-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
25-Jun-1999