When a child is sick, the pediatrician is the health care provider to be called upon. This specialist, who takes care of children as well as teenagers, is the parents’ best ally in detecting health problems of all kinds. What is the role of this doctor and when should you consult him? Answers here!
The pediatrician: generalities
The pediatrician is the healthcare professional who treats childhood diseases. He is the qualified person for the parents to examine their baby from birth. As part of this pediatric consultation, this doctor will evaluate the reflexes of the newborn, its flexibility, as well as the mobility of its various members. This is one of the situations in which it is necessary to consult a pediatrician urgently to ensure that the infant does not present any organic dysfunction after childbirth.
This professional also works with subjects who have passed the age of early childhood. You should know that he is not really an expert since the term “paediatrician” is used above all to designate a general practitioner children. The fact that he is considered a specialist is due to the fact that he deals with people belonging to a age range data (0 to 17 years old). Thus, in pediatrics, there are different specialties, as in adults.
When should you go see a pediatrician?
Besides the case of post-natal consultation presented above, there are mandatory visits that must be made to the pediatrician. Indeed, between the first and the sixteenth year of your child, you must subject him to a twenty (20) medical examinations highly recommended. Fourteen of these are to be achieved during the first 3 years of his life. The remaining six must be spread over the following 13 years, with three between 4 and 6 years old, then three others between 7 and 16 years old.
You should know that all these consultations aim to follow the evolution of the little ones during the different stages of their childhood. They allow the practitioner to ensure that all the necessary vaccinations have been carried out rigorously. Also, they help prevent or treat various recurring diseases in children such as chickenpox, mumps, otitis, etc. These visits allow early detection of possible health problems (physical or psychological).
How is a consultation with the pediatrician?
As mentioned above, there are several specialties in pediatrics such as cardiology, gastroenterology, pulmonology, neurology, pediatric psychiatry, among others. Thus, the pediatrician may have to see his patients for various reasons, namely:
- food poisoning ;
- breathing problems;
- motor disorders;
- allergies, etc.
To achieve a good diagnosis, whatever the case for which he is consulted, this practitioner will question the patient or his parents. This step allows him to understand the origin of the problem. On the basis of the answers obtained and his own observations, he will ask for one or more clinical examinations to confirm or rule out their hypotheses. The results of the latter will allow him to recommend treatments that can relieve the patient.
Remember that the pediatrician can be consulted punctually, that is to say only in the event of a health problem. It is also possible to go see him as part of a regular follow-up of your child from birth until the end of adolescence.