Table 2.
Parents' reasons for wanting immediate medical
| During telephone calla (n = 44) | Interview group 1b (n = 19) | Interview group 2c (n = 8) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child-related reasons | |||
| Crying, in pain | 14 | 4 | – |
| Fever with or without other symptoms | 9 | 4 | 2 |
| Specific symptoms | 21 | 8 | 6 |
| Abnormal behaviour | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Parents' cognitions | |||
| Worried, unwiling to take risk | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| Wants a diagnosis or wants to rule out a specific disease | 8 | 10 | 2 |
| Wants treatment | 2 | 3 | – |
| In doubt, unsure what to do | 10 | 4 | 3 |
| Contextual reasons | |||
| Former experience of illness in child | 3 | 3 | – |
| Doesn't want to wait until the next morning or after the weekend | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Earlier advice was not effective | – | 2 | 2 |
| Has to go to work the next morning | – | 1 | – |
a
Phone calls before visit to cooperative.
b
Parents interviewed after visit to cooperative.
c
Parents of children referred to hospital.