The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners (RACGP) confirms Australian GPs are the driving force behind healthy Australian children, labelled in a recent study as one of the best sources for detection and management of child health development.
A study into the Government’s Healthy Kids Check (HKC) initiative and published in the Medical Journal of Australia has shown a very high success rate in the detection and management of child health problems at all stages of development by GPs.
Introduced in 2008, the HKC aims to improve health outcomes for Australian children with a health check conducted at the age of four, before commencing school, to detect any physical health issues, lifestyle risk factors and facilitate early intervention strategies.
The study analysed data from 557 children who undertook a HKC between January 2010 and May 2013 and found that whilst 21 per cent of children had problems detected during the HKC, 19 per cent were detected before and 4 per cent after the check.
RACGP study contributor, Dr Evan Ackermann said the results support the notion that GPs are best placed to monitor the health and development of children through continuous care.
“The 19 per cent of children diagnosed with health concerns prior to Health Care Check is conducted is indicative of the important role GPs play in monitoring childhood development,” said Dr Ackermann.
“Opportunistic health checks occurred with children during their normal immunizations, and this is a vital component of the GP based immunization program. Children get the benefit of immunization and continued health surveillance from their GP.”
The highest number of health issues were detected in children presenting for their Healthy Kids Check with the most common problems found in speech and language (20%), toileting, hearing and vision (15% each), and behaviour (9%).
“Having a formal process is important to ensure children are healthy and ready for their school years, with the identification of any hearing, speech and language or behavioural issues critical in this regard,” said Dr Ackermann.
“We know that general practice is the most effective pillar of the Australian healthcare system and that early identification and management is vital to quality health outcomes for Australian of all ages.
“GPs are ideally placed to monitor the overall health of children, taking into account any family health conditions and any observable changes in normal progression of development.
“Any Government initiative that encourages evidence based health checks is a positive one; however parents are encouraged to visit the same GP on a regular basis to make sure there is an element of surveillance over their development.”
The study concluded that GPs are diligent in the detection and management of child health problems and that some of these problems were only detected as a result of the HKC.
The RACGP remains committed to continuously advocating for a ‘Healthy Profession. Healthy Australia’