6 tips for making the most of your child ’s checkup

Follow me on Twitter @drClaire The yearly check-up: it’s the time when your child gets a total look-over. As a pediatrician, I’m often struck by just how much I need to cover in that appointment. I need to find out about eating, sleeping, exercise, school, behavior, even about peeing and pooping. I need to ask about the dentist, about screen time, about changes in the family’s health or situation. I need to do a full physical examination and check on growth and development. I need to talk about and give immunizations — and make sure parents have the health information they need and want. And of course, I need to address any chronic health problems the child might have, and any concerns the parents have. In our practice, the longest I have to do this is 30 minutes. Usually I have 15 minutes. After 25 years of being a pediatrician and doing thousands of check-ups, I’ve learned about what can help parents get the most out of whatever time they have. Here are some tips: Think about what you want to talk about before the visit. This sounds really obvious, but too often parents don’t do it. They get caught up in scheduling and getting to the visit, or in the forms they need, and don’t take the time to think about what they want to ask the doctor. Keep a list somewhere (like on your phone, so you don’t leave it at home); jot things down. As you go along, prioritize the concerns: what is most important to cover at the visit? Which leads me to… Don’t leave it all ...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Children's Health Parenting Prevention Source Type: blogs