68% of mums lose confidence in Ireland’s healthcare system

MummyPages.ie, Ireland’s largest community of mums investigates the approach and attitudes of mums in Ireland when seeking medical attention for their children. Research revealed that 58% of mums are hesitant in bringing their child to A&E without first seeking advice from a medical professional. While a quarter of mums are looking online to parenting and health websites more than ever to get help in diagnosing and treating their children.

The Irish healthcare system has come under fire as reports documenting the 600 people waiting on hospital trolleys and the shocking statistic that over 390,000 people in Ireland are currently waiting for hospital and outpatient appointments. These frightening facts along with identification of a new mutant strain of the flu virus in A&E departments has resulted in 68% of mums losing confidence in Ireland’s healthcare system.

Here are the highlights of MummyPages research:

• 58% of mums are reluctant to bring their children to A&E without having first consulted their own GP or pharmacist.
• 68% of mums lose confidence in Ireland’s healthcare system.
• 25% of mums are looking to health and parenting sites more and more for advice when diagnosing and treating their children.
• 42% of mums felt that the treatment or advice received in A&E could have been done so by their GP

Laura Haugh, Mum-in-Residence for MummyPages comments on MummyPages research:

“One of the most significant findings of our survey was our mums’ reluctance to bring their children to A&E without having first consulted their own GP or pharmacist. The accident and emergency room of a hospital is a frightening place for young children and the wait times are frequently long with our mums reporting waiting up to six hours to be seen by a doctor.”

“While the advice and care from the family doctor is still as important as ever to parents, our survey showed that mums are also increasingly reliant on parenting and health websites for practical advice as well as medical advice in diagnosing and treating their children when they’re unwell.”

GP Eleanor Galvin of Rosemount Family Doctors comments:

“While sometimes there is no escaping a trip to the hospital, it is helpful to be aware of the signs and symptoms that should spike your concern.”

“The main ones are difficulty breathing in a child or baby, or a very high temperature in a small baby that doesn’t come down, a drowsy child or a sudden rash however mums are generally very tuned in and know when they have a very ill child,”

“When a second opinion is needed a late-night GP service is available in many areas, and parents should familiarise themselves with this service.”