Physicians' Attitudes Toward and Knowledge of Child Care

A questionnaire designed to elicit information about training in child-care issues, frequency of discussion during office visits, and attitudes regarding specific medical and developmental issues of child care was sent to randomly chosen board-certified family practitioners and pediatricians in District 3 of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Among respondents, 39% said they felt uncomfortable discussing child-care issues and 85% felt that their training in this area was inadequate. Forty-three percent reported rarely or never discussing child care during an initial visit. More formal training is needed to address issues of child care.