Qualitative assessment of physicians' appraisal of parental concerns.

Background: In clinical encounters with children and their parents, physicians rely on both analytical and non-analytical factors to assess the clinical problem. Research on clinical gut feeling has recognized this as a significant diagnostic factor, yet little is known about how physicians evaluate parental concerns.

Aim: To investigate which parent- and physician-related factors influence a physician's assessment of parental concerns.

Design and setting: Qualitative semi-structured focus group interviews were conducted with 15 general practitioners and 15 paediatricians in Belgium between May and August 2022.

Method: Nine semi-structured focus group interviews were independently coded and analyzed thematically using the constant comparative analysis method.

Results: The factors that physicians use to assess parental concerns can be categorized into four groups: parent-related, physician-related, context-related, and child-related factors. Within each category, there are multiple determinants, with the most influential being: having multiple children as a parent, the physician's work experience, and disease severity.

Conclusion: This study confirms some determining factors that have already been described in the literature, but it also identifies new determinants (e.g., having multiple children as a parent and physician fatigue). Quantitative research could assess the extent to which the identified factors are involved in the assessment of gut feeling.