In this article today I’m going to give you several tips, tricks, and tactics that you can use to get the very best medical care for your children.
When it comes to medical care for children, parents… especially new parents… can often make many very basic mistakes that can adversely affect the care that their child receives from the doctor’s office. In this article I’m going to talk about some of those mistakes that parents make and talk about ways to avoid them so that your kids get the best care possible.
The first mistake is not making your pediatrician a partner in your child’s life. Most parents bring their children to pediatricians while they are infants and then sort of stop as the child gets older. The fact of the matter is that a doctor who has known your child since the beginning has an enormous advantage over other doctors and can also help you in other areas that are related to healthcare.
For instance if your child has problems learning at school, your doctor may be able to say a word on your behalf and get your child into a special program. The same thing goes for getting your child into certain community services such as different camps or counseling situations. Children don’t really need an adult doctor until well into their 20s.
The next mistake parents make is in withholding vital information from the doctors. A pediatrician or a doctor can’t fully understand the situation if you don’t give them all the information. Sometimes this information can be embarrassing such as a history of alcoholism in your family or marital strife or other behavioral problems but a doctor needs to know these things in order to diagnose your child correctly. Behavioral problems often stem from physical problems of a medical nature so keep that in mind.
The next mistake that I see parents make over and over again is to be unprepared for an appointment. Generally speaking, your average doctors visit last 15 minutes or less which means you have to be on the ball to make the most out of the brief time you’ll have in front of the doctor. A good rule is to always bring a written list of the things that you wish to talk about so that you can simply go through the list quickly and efficiently. Then, if something doesn’t get addressed on your list you’ve got it written down and can remember to address it at the next appointment.
The last mistake is when parents get between themselves and the doctor and the child. Obviously as the adult you have to be a major participant but it’s important for your child and the doctor to develop their own relationship with each other. In fact many children prefer to see the doctor by themselves once they hit around nine years old or 10 years old. Encourage that!
So there you have several common mistakes that parents make when it comes to their children’s medical care. I think you’ll agree that most of these problems can be very easily addressed and are even easier to resolve with just a little effort.