Even if you’re not a doctor, it’s clear that children and adults are very different. The early stages of life undergo rapid change (as any new parent will tell you how giant their two-month-old is). With children growing like weeds, how do you know that everything is going well? Luckily for the typically paranoid parent, the right pediatric group can offer fantastic guidance.
Young Children Need to Go to the Doctor
Routine checkups at pediatric groups ensure development proceeds well in children. As an infant, frequent checkups are even more important. The first three years of life place a heavy emphasis on brain development, and any responsible parent will want to make sure everything is on the correct track.
Most adults don’t go in for checkups, and if they’re healthy, they’ll be able to get away with this. Children and infants, however, cannot skip any visits because the negative effects of an ailment can be long-lasting.
Primary Responsibilities of a Pediatrician
Responsibilities of a pediatrician include vaccinations, updates on the growth trajectory of your child, and providing information to you on the health and nutrition demands of your child. A good pediatric group should have great communication skills and be patient. Whether good or bad news, pediatric groups need to inform parents on the health status of their children. In an average day, a pediatrician might deal with a patient coming in for a chicken pox vaccine to discovering a new allergen for a toddler.
The issue for pediatricians is that many of their patients haven’t developed verbal communication skills. Auditory and visual cues are a pediatrician’s best friend. Through tests and observation, pediatricians can be successful in diagnosing infants and children.
An example of a difficult diagnosis would be Gastroesophageal Reflux (GER) in infants. One of the symptoms of GER is vomit, which most babies do already, so it isn’t easy to recognize. Left undiagnosed, GER can cause major esophagus issues leading to malnutrition. But the tough diagnoses for their younger patients don’t end there.
Do pediatricians only treat young children?
Most pediatricians will tend to their patients until the age of 18, but some even continue until age 21. Mental illness is prevalent among teenagers, and going undiagnosed can be harmful to the health of your child. Discovering these ailments early on will allow treatment to prevent further long-term damage.
This is the main reason why pediatric groups stress the need for parents to bring their children in for their scheduled well-child exams. Even if there is nothing overtly wrong with the child at the time of the scheduled exam, red flags of possible conditions can be caught. Then proper tests can be administered or the possible condition can be monitored.
Why is there a need for pediatricians?
Children are different from adults, and that’s why pediatricians are necessary. There are certain conditions that come up in children much more often than adults, so you want to see a doctor who specializes in making sure babies and children have the medical care they need.