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Background: Growth charts have been used worldwide for about 40 years but their use has always been fraught with problems. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out on the reported usage of growth charts and whether there are factors that affect usage by the general practitioners working with children in public hospitals.Data were collected through the use of a self-administered questionnaire. The questionnaire covered four concepts: demographic factors; doctors' self-reported growth chart usage; doctors' attitude towards growth monitoring and use of growth charts; and doctors' knowledge in terms of plotting, interpretation and management of growth patterns. Results: A total of 90 out of 100 doctors completed the questionnaires. More than half (57%) of the doctors had high workloads. Fifty-six (62.2%) doctors thought they were too busy to use growth charts. Only 37 (41%) doctors achieved an acceptable total knowledge score. Although just over two-thirds of (67.8%) doctors reported a positive attitude towards growth monitoring, their reported usage does not reflect it. Fifty-four (60%) doctors plotted weights correctly. Doctors recognised the most probable cause for the given growth patterns. However, most doctors struggled to choose the most appropriate management option. Skill in plotting was associated with more regular usage. Better knowledge and a positive attitude were associated with higher usage whereas a perception of high workload and several years' experience were associated with lower levels of usage. Conclusions: While doctors reported a positive attitude towards the use of growth charts, they lacked the knowledge to utilise them optimally and reported that the chart was often not used.

BackgroundChest pain is a common clinical syndrome. However, there is a paucity of African studies describing the causes, prevalence, aetiology, and disposition of patients with chest pain presenting in the emergency department (ED).AimThe aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to determine the prevalence, causes, demographics, and disposition of all adult patients with the main complaint of chest pain presenting at the ED of a regional hospital in South Africa.MethodsRecords of all patients 18 years and older presenting with the complaint of chest pain from 1 December 2011 through 10 April 2012 were assessed. A data collection sheet capturing patient demographics and disposition from the ED was used. The diagnosis was subdivided into groups: cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, psychiatric/psychogenic, other, and unknown.ResultsOf the 312 patients presenting with chest pain, 210 patient files were retrieved. The prevalence of non-traumatic chest pain was 1.66%. Respiratory disease was the most common cause (36.19%), with pneumonia the most common diagnosis (24.40%). Logistic regression showed diagnoses of acute cardiovascular disease or respiratory disease, older age, and transport by ambulance as being associated with admission.ConclusionThe main cause of acute chest pain was found to be respiratory disease, followed by musculoskeletal disorders. In the African context, the aetiology of acute chest pain differs from that in first world countries. Health workers should therefore pay special attention to respiratory conditions during diagnosis and management in African patients with acute chest pain.

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