CHILDRENS DISCHARGE AGAINST MEDICAL ADVICE - IS IT A PROBLEM

Objectives: To highlight the magnitude of and identify the factors con tributing to children's discharge against medical advice. Design: A pr ospective, standardized questionnaire interview, covering a 2-year per iod from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 1991. Setting: King Fahad Hospi tal, Al-Baha, Saudi Arabia. Subjects: Parents of children who were dis charged against medical advice. Results: Of 2783 paediatric admissions , 49 (1.8%) were discharged against medical advice. Unfortunately, amo ng these were children with life-threatening conditions. The presence of other siblings at home, false parental judgement of improvement and level of education were found to have significant bearing. Conclusion : Although the study showed a low prevalence, there is still a need fo r health care providers to be aware of the problem. Further prospectiv e multicentre studies to identify the magnitude, pattern, and risk fac tors are warranted. Legislation with a clear policy should be formulat ed by the authorities to protect children who are at risk.