Children's Problems to Their Pediatricians

The research questions address how parents present their children’s problems to their pediatricians. The research shows that there are two ways on how the parents present the problems their kids are suffering from to their pediatricians. The first way is known as “symptom only” presentation. This is when a parent observes and sees that his or her kid is not feeling well, and he observes some signs of an illness, but does not know what illness. He visits a doctor and explains to him the symptoms he has observed from his kid. The other way is known “candidate diagnosis.” Here, the parent notices some symptoms with his child, and concludes that his child is suffering from a certain disease. He then visits a pediatrician and informs him about the signs he has observed from his child and concludes that he has a certain disease.

Stiver uses conversation analysis method on his research. After using this method, he concludes that parents who recommend symptoms only presentation take their kids to the hospital to seek medical advice while parent who recommend “candidate diagnosis” are aware of where their kids are suffering from, and so they take them to confirm and get treatment.

He says that some parents visit a doctor and try to tell the doctor the signs they are observing from their kids, and then state that they have a certain disease. For instance, in extract 16 when a mother confides in the doctor that she thought her child was suffering from the sinus infection; the doctor did some examination and confirmed it wrongly.

The relationship between theory and research in this study is on some instances the parents are observing some symptoms with their kids, and they go and tell the doctor about it. Most of the parents have the tendency of making a conclusion of suggesting that their kids are suffering from a certain disease after seeing some symptoms in them.

The study does not trust the previous research which showed  direct communication practice where parents pressured the physician to give antibiotic to their kids, if they detected they suffered from a certain infection is commonly used. The study offer interaction evidence through the conversation analysis method. They respond to the symptom only and candidate diagnoses significantly and differently.