Guidance on fabricated or induced illness (FII), formerly known as Münchausen syndrome by proxy, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health aims to boost doctors’ confidence in an area of practice that most find fraught with difficulty, and to ensure that they take the right steps to protect children at risk.

It replaces the college’s 2002 guide, after a study last year by the Department of Children, Families, and Schools, which found that only 36% of paediatricians surveyed rated their confidence in dealing with FII cases highly.

Paediatricians who took part cited fears of adverse media publicity and complaints to the General Medical Council if they blamed a parent …