Caregiver intuition may spot child health crises before some early warning systems

A recent study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health has shed light on the importance of parental or caregiver intuition in identifying children at risk of deterioration. The research suggests that caregiver concern for the worsening condition of pediatric patients may be more effective in detecting critical illness than traditional early warning systems.

The study, conducted over a period of 26 months in Australia, analyzed data from 73,845 emergency department presentations of pediatric patients. Of these, 24,239 had documented responses for parent or caregiver concern. Caregiver concern was assessed by asking the question, “Are you worried your child is getting worse?” during routine monitoring.

The results revealed that children whose caregivers expressed concern for clinical deterioration were more likely to experience critical illness requiring admission to the ICU or the need for mechanical ventilation. This suggests that the intuitive feelings of parents and caregivers may be more accurate in detecting deterioration than physiological data alone.

The authors of the study emphasize the importance of incorporating parent or caregiver concerns into hospital systems used to monitor pediatric patients. They suggest that parents and caregivers can serve as valuable resources in helping clinicians detect early signs of deterioration in children.

Overall, the study highlights the potential role of parental intuition in improving the outcomes of pediatric patients. Moving forward, it is important for healthcare systems to prioritize research that integrates caregiver concerns into clinical care protocols. By doing so, we can better identify and respond to critical illness in children, ultimately improving patient outcomes.

For more information, the study titled “Association between caregiver concern for clinical deterioration and critical illness in children presenting to hospital: a prospective cohort study” can be found in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health. (DOI: 10.1016/S2352-4642(25)00098-7).

Please note that this document is subject to copyright and should not be reproduced without permission for private study or research purposes only.

Citation:
Caregiver intuition may spot child health crises before some early warning systems (2025, May 29) retrieved 30 May 2025 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-05-caregiver-intuition-child-health-crises.html