Sunday
Jan272008
Well child checkups, reinvented
Sunday, January 27, 2008 at 1:56PM 
Our office is currently reexamining how we do checkups. Specifically we are looking at different developmental and other screening tools to better detect developmental problems early. In addition we will be looking at anticipatory guidance topics that we emphasize, including nutrition, injury and disease prevention. Please use the comment section to tell us what you expect from a check-up. Let us know what works, what doesn't, and what you would like to hear more about from your provider at a checkup.
Reader Comments (6)
Regarding what we as parents would like to see for well child visits.....I would love to see a full exam done on the child as well as go over any physical and/or emotional issues that may have come up with the child. Just making sure they get a very complete physical as well as emotinal check up is very important.
Thanks very much for your comment. I'd like to ask a follow-up question if I could.....
What would you consider an emotional checkup? What should the provider be looking for?
Dr. Carlson,
I feel that in today's society with so many broken families, children really need an emotional check up as well. I think a lot of people think that if they are growing, don't have any bumps or bruises, or sore throats or ears, that they are fine. I think a lot of these little ones are hurting inside from the events that they are going through in life. I think it would be great if the doctors were checking in with them about their feelings too, so that it might prevent down the road problems as they get older. So maybe just asking a few questions along with the physical check up to see how the kiddos are doing. Just a suggestion.
Thanks so much for all you guys do for our little ones!
As a nurse and a mother raising her second child, I feel all too often that parents are not being taught enough about how to provide what is needed for their child's overall health, until there is a problem. Fliers are helpful, but not enough.
I believe that the developemental milestones of children should be a subject of INCREASED priority and focus of the provider as a teaching part of the checkup. This would help parents be prepared for the current as well as future needs of their child. Many parents feel they are walking blind through this entire process of raising their child, and look to us as medical professionals for the answers. But sometimes they don't know the questions to ask.
The wellchild checkup is the perfect time to take an EXTRA 5-10 minutes to help our parents be able to understand where their child is at developmentally, and not just on a measured scale or grid, but INDIVIDUALLY. Then teach them how to address the needs of their child with the tools we know help to improve health and overall well being. Then this information will be an empowering tool for parents and not just us professionals, to encourage proper growth and developement of the body and MIND.
If this is done through a process throughout the childs life, starting from birth, we should have a higher success rate of healthy kids and adults alike.. Especially with the severe degree of emotional problems our teens suffer from. The only way for them to be able to deal with the worlds problems is for them to be well prepared and mentally strong prior to this challenging time of their lives. Perhaps this way our youth will have a better survival rate.
I believe it is an investment we can no longer afford to overlook. After all that is our purpose: to achieve a higher degree of health and well-being for all. Thanks so much for doing your part by including us parents in this process of improvement. As a nurse, this is a safe forum as well to encourage you as providers to do the right thing.
I know this post is old but thought I could chime in since I have recently started over with a new little one.
I would like to see a little more time spent with the DR/Patient time. I have found that with this little one I have mentioned things I wanted to go over as the nurse has asked but then when the Dr comes in it seems there is no time its just business and thats it. When I try to ask the same questions that I provided to the nurse they are not answered and I feel more lost then I did when I came in to begin with. I remember with my older ones there was more patince and time spent going over there overall well being rather then just the here and now.
Thank you for your comments. We are working to redesign the check up so that highest priority is given to parent concerns and questions. Don't by shy in writing down your concerns on a brief piece of paper and don't let the doctor leave until your questions have been answered. Our job is to listen and respond to concerns.
As I'm sure you know various providers in our clinic have different styles and pace they work at. One idea would be to try out a different provider for next well child visit. In addition, our providers are now available for communication through our online portal for questions you may have thought of after the visit.
One of our providers has been experimenting with short form that is filled out before the visit by the parent. The first question on the form is asking for concerns. This helps to focus the visit to assure those get answered. Other parts of the form accomplish health and development screening that would otherwise be done only verbally. The goal is focus the time that parent feels listened to and all concerns addressed.