Experience of the mothers of Down's syndrome and spina bifida children on going home from hospital in Scotland 1971-1981.

A postal questionnaire completed by the mothers of 123 children with Down's syndrome and 109 children with Spina bifida born over the past 10 years in Scotland has shown that difficulties exist in the transfer of care from hospital to the home. Few Spina bifida children came home at the same time as the mothers and only one-half of both groups were given positive encouragement concerning the homecoming. Two-thirds of the Down's mothers and less than half of the Spina bifida mothers were seen by their general practitioner on their return and a significant minority of those visited found his visit unhelpful. A greater percentage of both groups were visited by the health visitor and about a third found her visit unhelpful. It is suggested that the training of both these health professionals may not be appropriate to the correct management of these handicaps at home.