DKK Ng, SWW Cherk, JCP Wong

Abstract

In Hong Kong, there are a number of commonly quotable medical qualifications related to the field of paediatrics, namely, FHKAM(Paed), MRCP and DCH. A questionnaire survey was conducted among nurses for their perception of these qualifications. They were asked which of these qualifications they would regard as implying: 1) competence; 2) expertise; 3) recognized specialist in the field of paediatrics. MBBS being the commonest basic medical degree held by medical practitioners in Hong Kong was used as a control item. One hundred and fifty-seven nurses took part in the survey. FHKAM(Paed) was the commonest answer to all three questions (63% to 76%). It was significantly better than the other three qualifications as representing competence, expertise and recognized specialist status in paediatrics. With regard to these three areas, DCH was found to be significantly superior to both MRCP and MBBS. There was no difference between participants' perception of MRCP and MBBS for all three questions.