Parents-as-teachers: Design and establishment of a training programme for paediatric residents

Objectives. To improve the training of paediatric residents in general and to provide more meaningful insights into family functioning. Design. The programme is one facet of a 1-month developmental disabilities rotation for paediatric PL2 residents. It incorporates elements of family-centred care whereby physicians learn through home and community site visits about the importance of developing partnerships with parents and service providers in order to give better care to children with chronic conditions. Setting. Gillette Specialty Health Care Center, St Paul, Minnesota. Subjects. Paediatric PL2 residents and a parent group. Results. Of 18 residents, 11 completed written and 18 completed oral feedback evaluations. There were infrequent but consistent complaints relating to logistics; more positive comments were made about the programme and individuals involved. Conclusions. In the minds of all participants, the Parents-as-Teachers (PAT) programme has been highly successful, as documented by short-term objective and subjective parent and resident feedback. The PAT experience represents a unique opportunity for parents and physicians-in-training to improve their mutual understanding. While not analysed in this report, the inclusion of a complementary programme involving on-site teaching in various community agencies also appears to be of value.