Paediatricians ''ill-prepared'' for treating kids'' sleep disorders
31/08/2011
Youngsters who find it difficult to sleep in their children's beds are not receiving the support they need from paediatricians, the results of a study have shown.
Although many medical professionals believe they should be advising parents on sleep hygiene for their kids, very few are actually trained to do so, research reveals.
Less than 20 per cent of the paediatricians questioned by the Department of Paediatrics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre in Ohio were able to answer eight basic questions relating to sleep.
Furthermore, only 18 per cent said they had received formal training in how to deal with sleep disorders.
"This finding is critical because paediatricians who had been formally trained had significantly more knowledge regarding sleep disorders and reported fewer barriers to counselling youths and/or their guardians regarding sleep problems," the researchers claimed.
They also emphasised that parents will likely find it hard to identify disorders in their children if medical professionals themselves are unable to do so.
Posted by Michael Ewing
