PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Annie Swanepoel TI - Fifteen-minute consultation: Attachment as a model to understand and manage difficult doctor–parent relationships AID - 10.1136/archdischild-2018-315570 DP - 2019 Aug 01 TA - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition PG - 178--182 VI - 104 IP - 4 4099 - http://ep.bmj.com/content/104/4/178.short 4100 - http://ep.bmj.com/content/104/4/178.full SO - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed2019 Aug 01; 104 AB - Paediatricians are often faced with managing the child who is unwell, and parents, who may present in ways that are difficult to manage. Difficult behaviours can range from those who disregard their child’s needs, to those who overstate their child’s minor symptoms, to those who ask for help but then refuse to accept it. This paper gives a framework using attachment theory to help paediatricians recognise, understand and deal with difficult doctor–parent interactions in a way that is appropriate and sensitive. Making changes to the way we communicate with parents can improve outcomes for the child, the family and the doctor’s own well-being.