What is pediatric care?
The American Academy of Pediatrics classifies pediatrics as a medical science specialty focusing on social, physical, and mental well-being from birth to young adulthood. It is a discipline that deals with environmental, biological, and social influences on developing children.
Pediatric care refers to services a certified pediatrician provides to a child under 21. It covers extensive health services, from treating acute and chronic diseases to diagnosis and preventative care.
What are the educational qualifications of a pediatrician?
Aspiring pediatricians undergo extensive training and education. First, individuals complete a four-year undergraduate degree in the sciences, which includes pre-medical courses like biology and chemistry. After this, they attend medical school for another four years and study subjects such as anatomy and physiology. In addition to studying theory, they also need to take part in clinical rotations where they learn about the different areas of medicine. These typically include pediatrics, neurology, psychiatry, emergency medicine, and radiology. During this period, aspirants usually decide on the field of medicine they want to specialize in.
Doctors specializing in pediatrics move on to a three-year pediatric residency program. The residency program includes additional training in pediatric specialties such as newborns, general pediatrics, newborn intensive care, and developmental-behavioral pediatrics. During this training period, pediatricians attain the knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to treat a broad range of conditions in children.
After residency, some pediatricians may go into general pediatric practice. Others may enroll in fellowship programs where they receive further training in pediatric subspecialties. Common pediatric subspecialties include neonatology, child abuse, pediatric cardiology, adolescent medicine, pediatric critical care medicine, medical toxicology, and pediatric surgery. These programs take anywhere from two to six years of training. All pediatricians need to complete an estimated 12,000 to 14,000 hours of patient care during training.
When should you see a pediatrician?
You should consult the best pediatrician near you if your child is experiencing the below-mentioned symptoms:
- High fever
- Excessive vomiting
- Respiratory infections
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Rashes
- Seizures
- Blood in urine
- Difficulty in sleeping
- Vision and hearing problems
- Burning sensation during urination
- Injuries or infections
What common conditions do pediatricians treat?
- Ear pain: Children may have ear pain frequently. A pediatrician inspects a child's ear to detect the cause of pain. They then recommend the best treatment based on their diagnosis.
- Sore throat: Pediatrician prescribes antibiotics to children with a positive streptococcal lab test result (strep throat). Babies get infected by streptococcus bacteria when in contact with someone having the illness.
- Urinary tract infections: These infections can be seen in infants, teens, and young adults. A pediatrician collects a urine sample and bases the treatment on the bacteria found.
- Bronchiolitis: Bronchiolitis affects young children and infants during cold and flu seasons. A pediatrician monitors the child for signs of eating, dehydration, or breathing difficulty.
- Skin infection: The pediatrician takes a skin test (swab or culture) to determine the most appropriate treatment for the children.
- Common cold: Young children in child care can catch 6 to 8 colds yearly. Viruses in the upper respiratory tract are the leading cause of the cold. The common cold doesn't require antibiotics. However, pediatricians frequently recommend antibiotics for sinus infections based on the child's symptoms.
- Bacterial sinusitis: Bacterial sinusitis affects children when bacteria become trapped in their sinuses. A pediatrician will prescribe antibiotics if there is fever and yellow nasal discharge for at least 3 to 4 days in a row.
- Pain: Pediatricians recommend acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain relief in children based on weight. They avoid prescribing narcotic pain medications for common injuries such as sore throats and ear or ankle pain.
- Cough: It doesn't require antibiotics—pediatricians rarely advise cough medicines for children aged four and below.
How often should you go for well-child visits?
If you have a newborn, you should take your baby for well-child visits at least six times before their first birthday. Your child's nurse or pediatrician can help understand your baby's development, growth, and habits in the first few days. After the first visit, follow-up visits should happen when your baby turns:
- 1 month
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 6 months
- 9 months
- 12 months or one year
- 15 months
- 18 months
- 2 years old or 24 months
- 2 and a half years old or 30 months
- 3 years old
After three years, pediatrician visits must continue until your child reaches 18 or 21, after which they can switch to a provider who sees adults.
Why are pediatric visits important?
While taking your children to a general practitioner or pediatrician when they fall sick is necessary, the importance of regular pediatric visits should not be overlooked.
Here are some benefits of seeing a pediatrician routinely:
- Continuing care with the same pediatrician throughout childhood and adolescence allows them to detect diseases earlier, establishing treatment or prevention in a timely manner. Prevention may include scheduling immunizations or vaccinations.
- Parents can raise their concerns or queries during well-child visits. These may include certain social and emotional behaviors, eating habits, problems with sleeping, or suspected developmental problems. Your pediatrician will clear all your doubts and help you understand what kind of behavior and habits are normal in kids.
- Besides physical health, pediatricians also assess and care for a child's mental well-being.
- Pediatricians coordinate a patient's healthcare with other professionals when required. Often, pediatricians work with a team of medical specialists, surgeons, nursing staff, speech therapists, nutritionists, and social workers.
What to expect at your baby's first pediatric appointment
The first well-baby checkup generally occurs two to three days after the birth and after returning from the hospital. A pediatrician or nurse would first record your baby's weight, length, and head circumference measurements. Ensure you show your pediatrician all the hospital paperwork you received after discharge. This information includes your newborn's weight immediately after birth and any complications during or after delivery.
Your doctor may also ask you some questions, such as:
- Are you feeding your baby breast milk, an iron-fortified formula, or a combination of the two?
- Are you giving your breastfed baby vitamin D supplements?
- How often does your baby require feeding? (Typically, newborns feed every 1 to 3 hours, and formula-fed babies eat every 2 to 4 hours, but this may vary.)
- How often is your baby pooping or peeing? (While the number of diapers varies each day, babies generally have about 3 to 4 bowel movements daily.)
- How long is your baby sleeping? (Infants sleep roughly 14 to 17 hours within the first 24 hours of birth. They also wake up often to feed.)
You may also put forth your concerns to the pediatrician at this point. Before visiting the pediatrician, list questions you may have regarding your baby's feeding and growth patterns. You can also ask your pediatrician how to maintain infant hygiene at home, what developmental milestones you should record at home, and what to do when your child has a high fever or is not eating or passing stools.
Your doctor may also perform a basic physical exam, including a hearing test and an eye exam. They may also check your baby's heartbeat for any irregularities. Further, upon evaluation, they may recommend screening tests or refer you to a specialist if necessary. Your baby will also receive vaccinations, like the Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV). You can ask your pediatrician what other immunizations your child should receive in the upcoming months.
When and how do you switch from a pediatrician to a primary care provider?
Pediatricians are primary care providers trained in internal medicine for infants and children. So, at a certain age, you may want your child to transition to a doctor specializing in treating young adults. There is no particular age when it comes to switching to another provider. Generally, young adults make the switch between the ages of 18 and 21. However, depending on your child's specific health concerns, they may still have to stay under the care of a pediatrician. Children who find it hard to connect to their pediatrician can also make the switch at an early age.
Changing doctors can take a while, and you should be prepared for it beforehand so your child can smoothly transition to another provider. You can start this discussion with your child's pediatrician when they reach middle or high school age. Make sure you coordinate with your pediatrician to find a reliable specialist. Ask them if they can recommend a trustworthy provider. Also, ensure you have all your child's health records ready for the new doctor.
Find the best pediatricians near you in Washington D.C.
Do you doubt that your child has a hearing problem? Is your child prone to getting a cold? Does your child's fever last more than 3-4 days? Does your child experience a burning sensation when urinating? Is your child infected with bronchiolitis? Is your child suffering from skin conditions or an infection? Are your children infected with bacteria? Is your child having trouble sleeping? Have you noticed any rashes on your child's body? Are you concerned about your child's excessive vomiting? Do you see your child having difficulty breathing? If any of those mentioned above apply to you, don't panic. All you need for your child's care is a trained, certified pediatrician. Zocdoc is a platform that helps you find the best pediatricians near you.
You can create an account on Zocdoc and search for pediatricians by condition, location, date, and insurance plan. A list of providers will be generated based on the information you enter. If you have any concerns regarding your insurance, use the Zocdoc insurance checker. Patients can leave reviews on the platform. The verified reviews will assist you in locating the top-rated pediatrician in Washington, DC, for your child. Each pediatrician has a profile where they can add information such as a brief introduction, education qualifications, practice location, reason for visit, and board certifications.
You can also look for a pediatrician in Washington, DC, currently available for pediatric care. On Zocdoc, video visits are also available to help you get clarity if the pediatrician communicates clearly to explain illnesses and treatments.
All appointments on Zocdoc are fast, secure, and free!
Pediatric care and pediatricians in Washington D.C.
It is essential to safeguard and improve children's and adolescents' health. In Washington, DC, the cases of bronchiolitis, obesity, asthma, infant deaths, and many more issues require pediatric care. However, people are taking their children to well-care centers. Children are also receiving nutritional and physical activity counseling.
Children's National saw 300 bronchiolitis cases during the first three weeks of July 2021. Obesity affects 14.2% of Washington DC's children aged 10 to 17 years. According to the State of Childhood Obesity, many children aged 2-4 years and 10-17 years are obese (12.8% and 14.2 respectively).
In 2020, Washington DC's infant mortality rate was 4.3 (infant deaths per 1,000 live births). With 7.9 deaths under one per 1,000 live births in 2012, Washington, DC, has the highest infant mortality rate. There were 15,991 children and adolescents who had asthma at the end of 2020. As stated by the American Lung Association, 10.9% of children in Washington, DC, had asthma in 2018. As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, 8.7% of children aged 6 to 9 years died from influenza and pneumonia.
According to the Children's Health Care Report Card, 81.6% of 2-year-old children were immunized. In 2020, 67.9% of children aged 3 to 17 received a weight assessment and nutrition and physical activity counseling.
Sources
Center for Children & Families
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[1]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[2]
American Lung Association
National Center for Biotechnology Information
The New Republic
State of Childhood Obesity
WTOP News
HealthyChildren.org[1]
HealthyChildren.org[2]
WebMD
Law Insider
American Academy of Pediatrics[1]
KidsHealth
MyHealthfinder
Beaumont Health
Cleveland Clinic
AAMC Careers in Medicine
HealthyChildren.org[3]
Reid Health
American Academy of Pediatrics[2]
University of Rochester Medical Center
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