A new British study of pediatric patients and their parents has indicated that poor patient experiences in childhood may lead to non-compliance later in life. The study — one of few to survey child patients about their care experience — found that children don’t always feel as safe in the hospital or with their caregivers as their parents believe they feel.

“A bad experience with a doctor or dentist as a young child may be remembered for decades and may put people off seeking care when they need it,” lead author Dr. Dougal Hargreaves told Reuters.

“Long-term outcomes can be affected by attitudes and habits they picked up when they first learned to manage their condition as a teenager,” he added.

The researchers suggested providers and parents work together to develop clinically responsible, child-friendly methods of including younger patients in medical decision-making. Doing so, they said, would improve communication, provide a sense of engagement, and help to alleviate child patients’ anxieties on the ward.

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