Have we seen you lately??.....Did you know that the current recommendations for the American Academy of Pediatrics are for children to get a well child exam annually? This has changed within the past few years.
Well-child care also is a chance to raise questions and concerns about your child’s development, behavior, and general well-being — questions that are difficult to discuss during sick visits. For instance, pediatricians are used to discussing common concerns with parents such as eating, sleeping, toilet training, social behaviors, as well as attention and learning problems. Having regular well-child visits with your child’s doctor and raising the concerns that matter most to you are key ingredients in helping the doctor know you and your child, and in forming a reliable and trustworthy relationship.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Department of Research recently conducted 20 focus groups with parents and 31 focus groups with pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners to gather recommendations about how to make the most of the well-child office visit.
From these sessions, four themes emerged:
- Pediatricians and parents share the goal of healthy children.
- Pediatricians want the well-child visit to best serve the needs of children and their families.
- Pediatricians are experts in child health, but parents are experts on their child.
- A team approach can best develop optimum physical, emotional, and developmental health for the child.
- It may seem early in the year to even think about scheduling your child's check up, but this is when the busy season starts! All children who are entering kindergarten or middle school, who have not had a well child exam within the past year will need one before they register for school! So if you have not done so already, please call the office as soon as possible to schedule your child's well visit!
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