Doctors ‘should trust’ parents’ gut instincts about their children

Doctors trust a parent’s gut instinct that their child is becoming severely ill, research has shown, finding that it is a better indicator of health than medical tests.

The study analysed data from almost 190,000 A&E visits by children in Melbourne, Australia, where the parents were routinely asked: “Are you worried your child is getting worse?”

Parents’ intuition was “significantly” linked to the likelihood of admission to an intensive care unit (ICU), with children four times more likely to need ICU care if their parents had voiced concerns.

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Source: The Times, 29 May 2025