pediatrician question
Feb. 6th, 2006 11:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
vernacular_lifeFor those of you with little ones, how did you start to find a peditrician? I don't know anyone near me w/ an infant. I've got a list of those close to our house that are part of our health plan, but what then?
Start calling and asking questions? Visit?
Any suggestions for questions?
So far I've got
--do you have weekend/evening hours?
--what is your feeling on breastfeeding (I plan on doing so, and dont want to be forced into supplementing if we get off on a slow start)
ETA
--how do fit sick kids in your schedule?
--do you have times or waiting rooms for sick kids vs well kids who need just a checkup/shots?
--do you have a general number where I can talk to someone about '1st time parent' issues
--do you have a lactation consultant on staff?
--Circumsision - hospital or pedi?
What are the office hours and is there any early morning or late evening hours for working parents?
How long in advance must you book appointments?
Are there any diagnostic facilities on site such as X-rays, blood work, etc.?
What lab work can be performed at the pediatrician's office?
Does the doctor answer any general questions by email?
How does the office deal with after hours emergencies?
Is there a 24 hour answering services that can connect you to a doctor?
Who covers for the doctor when they are on vacation?
How long do patients typically have to wait before each appointment?
How far in advance do well-child exams have to be scheduled?
If the child has an urgent illness, what process do
When during the day is the office busiest? It may be difficult to find an open time slot to make appointments at these busy times.
Will the doctor come to the hospital to examine the baby after she is born?
What is your philosophy about child rearing?
• Do many of the mothers in your practice breastfeed their babies successfully?
• Do you think children should be fed on a schedule?
• Sleep in the same bed with their parents?
• Wean at a particular time?
• What is your usual recommendation for babies who cry when they're put to sleep at night?
• What is your philosophy about antibiotics or other medication for children who have colds or other ailments?
• What is your opinion about infant vaccinations or circumcision?
How often do you want to see the baby in the first year? Why?
• Pediatricians more than family practitioners will schedule several "well-child" visits for your child. Pediatricians believe this to be a form of preventive care and an opportunity for parent education. Feel free to discuss in advance with your doctor or nurse the purpose of these "well-child" visits, so that you can decide what's appropriate for your child's care.
Is the doctor willing to refer you to a specialist if your child needs extra care?
Does the pediatrician focus on disease prevention and in what major ways?
How will the pediatrician monitor the developmental progress of your baby?
What kinds of educational materials on safety and injury prevention are available?
Does the pediatrician believe in the importance of vaccines? (Note: timely use of vaccines is considered critically important by most major health authorities.)
interview form:
to Remember:
Most doctors have only about ten to 15 minutes to spare for an interview. If the interview takes longer (up to 30 minutes), some physicians may charge a consultation fee.
Basics:
How long have you been in practice?____________years
Do you have children of your own?____________________________
Do you have any sub-specialties?_____________________
Are you a solo or group practice? solo/group
If solo, who covers for you if you're not available?_________________
If group, how often will I see other doctors?_______________________
What are your hours?_______________________________
Are any evening or weekend hours available?_______________________
How can I reach you in an emergency?__________________
Do you encourage parents to call for routine/non-emergency questions? yes/no
What hospitals are you affiliated with?_____________________
Will you be available for discussions on my child's behavioral developments; that is, tantrums, discipline issues, social development, etc.? yes/no
Baby Care:
Where do you stand on:
bottle-feeding_________________________________________
circumcision______________________________________ ____
getting baby to sleep_________________________________
antibiotics_______________________________________ ____
Questions to Ask Yourself:
Did you feel comfortable with the doctor? yes/no
Is the office conveniently located? yes/no
How long were you kept waiting? ______minutes
Did the waiting room and the examination rooms have toys and books to occupy your child? yes/no
Did the waiting room have a seperate side for sick/well children?
Was everything clean? yes/no
How helpful were the nurses and support staff at the office?
Start calling and asking questions? Visit?
Any suggestions for questions?
So far I've got
--do you have weekend/evening hours?
--what is your feeling on breastfeeding (I plan on doing so, and dont want to be forced into supplementing if we get off on a slow start)
ETA
--how do fit sick kids in your schedule?
--do you have times or waiting rooms for sick kids vs well kids who need just a checkup/shots?
--do you have a general number where I can talk to someone about '1st time parent' issues
--do you have a lactation consultant on staff?
--Circumsision - hospital or pedi?
What are the office hours and is there any early morning or late evening hours for working parents?
How long in advance must you book appointments?
Are there any diagnostic facilities on site such as X-rays, blood work, etc.?
What lab work can be performed at the pediatrician's office?
Does the doctor answer any general questions by email?
How does the office deal with after hours emergencies?
Is there a 24 hour answering services that can connect you to a doctor?
Who covers for the doctor when they are on vacation?
How long do patients typically have to wait before each appointment?
How far in advance do well-child exams have to be scheduled?
If the child has an urgent illness, what process do
When during the day is the office busiest? It may be difficult to find an open time slot to make appointments at these busy times.
Will the doctor come to the hospital to examine the baby after she is born?
What is your philosophy about child rearing?
• Do many of the mothers in your practice breastfeed their babies successfully?
• Do you think children should be fed on a schedule?
• Sleep in the same bed with their parents?
• Wean at a particular time?
• What is your usual recommendation for babies who cry when they're put to sleep at night?
• What is your philosophy about antibiotics or other medication for children who have colds or other ailments?
• What is your opinion about infant vaccinations or circumcision?
How often do you want to see the baby in the first year? Why?
• Pediatricians more than family practitioners will schedule several "well-child" visits for your child. Pediatricians believe this to be a form of preventive care and an opportunity for parent education. Feel free to discuss in advance with your doctor or nurse the purpose of these "well-child" visits, so that you can decide what's appropriate for your child's care.
Is the doctor willing to refer you to a specialist if your child needs extra care?
Does the pediatrician focus on disease prevention and in what major ways?
How will the pediatrician monitor the developmental progress of your baby?
What kinds of educational materials on safety and injury prevention are available?
Does the pediatrician believe in the importance of vaccines? (Note: timely use of vaccines is considered critically important by most major health authorities.)
interview form:
to Remember:
Most doctors have only about ten to 15 minutes to spare for an interview. If the interview takes longer (up to 30 minutes), some physicians may charge a consultation fee.
Basics:
How long have you been in practice?____________years
Do you have children of your own?____________________________
Do you have any sub-specialties?_____________________
Are you a solo or group practice? solo/group
If solo, who covers for you if you're not available?_________________
If group, how often will I see other doctors?_______________________
What are your hours?_______________________________
Are any evening or weekend hours available?_______________________
How can I reach you in an emergency?__________________
Do you encourage parents to call for routine/non-emergency questions? yes/no
What hospitals are you affiliated with?_____________________
Will you be available for discussions on my child's behavioral developments; that is, tantrums, discipline issues, social development, etc.? yes/no
Baby Care:
Where do you stand on:
bottle-feeding_________________________________________
circumcision______________________________________ ____
getting baby to sleep_________________________________
antibiotics_______________________________________ ____
Questions to Ask Yourself:
Did you feel comfortable with the doctor? yes/no
Is the office conveniently located? yes/no
How long were you kept waiting? ______minutes
Did the waiting room and the examination rooms have toys and books to occupy your child? yes/no
Did the waiting room have a seperate side for sick/well children?
Was everything clean? yes/no
How helpful were the nurses and support staff at the office?
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 04:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 04:57 pm (UTC)Good to know if they space their appointments out to accomodate sick kids (so you can get you in to see a doctor) on the day you call or first thing the next day with a concern. Also good to ask about evening hours...more and more peds offer them (mine have evening hours for illness or injury only, but it's something).
Also, a lot of peds will have a number or an extention on the office's genral phone line so you can talk to a nurse if you have any general health questions or concerns. I used that quite a bit the first few days Ellie was home, when I was still spastic about her!
Also, if your going to breastfeed, you can ask if the office has a lactation consultant that will be able to help you if needed. Most peds are strongly into supporting BFing, and have LCs on staff nowadays. But in that vein, double check that the hospital you'll be delivering in has an LC as well as BFing support. I know at my hospital that asked me upfront if I was BFing and if I wanted any supplementing. I said I was and that I didn't want any supplementing with formula. They made a note of it, so they brought Ellie to me to feed (at night...she's stayed in the nursury at night, but was with me in the room in the day) whenever she was hungry. I still remember the big "Breastfeeding Only. No formula." sign on her bassinette!
See if they have separate well-visit and sick visit waiting rooms. Not that you can completely keep the germs in one room, but it helps minimize exposure to other illnesses.
I'm sure I'll think of other things, and post when I remember! :)
Oh, boy! This is gettin' exciting! :P
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 05:55 pm (UTC)The hospital does have an LC on staff, but I didn't know if ped's now would really push formula if baby isn't gaining and milk is slowly coming in...
no subject
Date: 2006-02-06 05:03 pm (UTC)Oh, also, I don't know if you are planning to circumcise or not, but you can ask if your ob/gyn performs it or if the pediatrician at the hospital does. It can vary from hospital to hospital. The pediatrician was responsible for it at our hospital. Not that we needed it in the end.
no subject
Date: 2006-02-07 01:33 pm (UTC)I would say the only issue we've had is what happens if we have a problem when the office is closed -- you may want to ask how many doctors are on staff? is one always on call from this office or will you get a call back from a doctor in another office. where is that office? If you have to bring the baby in to the er which hospital is the ped affiliated with? Also talk to other moms about how long it usually takes to get an appointment...
and if you have any "non standard" concerns, like vaccinations or an adamant stance on breastfeeding i would just make sure that the ped knew that ahead of time. we're planning on bfing exclusively til this baby is 6 months old, and my ped has no problem with that.
good luck finding someone that you're comfortable with!