Effective communication in medical consultations is associated
with greater patient satisfaction [15] and improved health
outcomes [16]. Communication skills training has been shown
to reduce antibiotic prescribing significantly for RTI in adults
[17,18] and the use of an interactive booklet to aid communication
was shown to reduce antibiotic prescribing for children with RTIs
without reducing parent satisfaction [19]. However, a recent
review found that patients’ views on doctor–patient communication
in primary care are relatively under researched [20]. Studies
have found that pediatricians use only a limited range
of communication techniques in consultations [21] and that
communication varies considerably between clinicians [21] and
between consultations for different types of medical problems
[22,23]. A recent study focused on parents’ acceptance of antibiotic
prescribing decisions for children with RTI and found that trust,
open communication and continuity of care played a key role [24].
The study reported here aimed to improve our understanding of
parents’ experiences and views of clinician communication at all
stages of the primary care consultation for a child with a RTI.