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PROGRAMME INFO |
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Dr Graham Easton
gives listeners the low-down on what the medical profession
does and doesn't know. Each week an expert in the studio
tackles a particular topic and there are reports from
around the UK on the health of the nation - and the
NHS.
radioscience@bbc.co.uk |
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LISTEN
AGAIN 30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"What
I love about Case Notes is that it's about real medicine -
real patients and health professionals telling it how it is.
These days staying healthy is as much about knowing how to get
the most out of the health service as about knowing all the
ins and outs of disease."
Graham Easton
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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Children’s Health
In medical terms,
at least, children are not simply “mini adults”. In Case
Notes, presenter Dr Graham Easton explores some of the
challenges this poses for medical staff and parents trying to
look after children’s health.
As every parent will tell
you, children can become ill extremely rapidly. And
unfortunately, even in expert hands, it’s often very hard to
spot the early signs of serious illness. In April 1999, three
year-old Isabel Maude spent a month in intensive care after a
junior hospital doctor missed her symptoms of an unusual
complication of chickenpox. Rather than resort to legal
action, Isabel’s parents joined forces with Isabel’s intensive
care consultant to develop a new computer-based diagnostic
tool to help doctors make the right diagnosis in good time.
Graham talks to the consultant, and Isabel’s parents about the
system, called “Isabel”.
As well as the challenge of
getting the diagnosis right in a child, doctors also have
their work cut out when deciding on treatment. Many medicines
currently prescribed for children do not have a dosage
approved by the Medicines Control Agency, so doctors are
forced to rely solely on their knowledge or anecdotal evidence
when prescribing, rather than basing such decisions on
evidence-based guidelines. Graham hears about some new
research which suggests that more than 150 children have died
in the past ten years in the UK after taking prescribed
medicines – probably as a result of side effects of powerful
drugs. Should the medical profession be more aware of
guidelines which recommend avoiding medicines in certain high
risk patients – and should there be proper licensing and
testing of drugs in youngsters?
Graham also hears from
a special paediatric outpatients clinic, and asks his studio
expert for practical tips for parents looking after ill
children.
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RELATED LINKS
The Isabel Project
Medicines Control
Agency
Royal
College of Paediatric and Child Health : leaflets on medicines
and children
Net
Doctor
NHS
Direct
BBC
Health News
BBC
Health
BBC Webguide -
Health
The BBC is not responsible for the content of
external websites
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