Check-up Checklist

 

Well-child check-ups are important opportunities for pediatricians to periodically reconnect with their patients and families and assess a child’s growth, development, and overall health status. For parents, it’s a chance that comes once a year (more frequently up until age 3) to ask questions, express concerns, brag a little bit about how great their child is doing, and receive expert guidance about keeping kids healthy and safe.

During the course of a routine check-up, pediatricians ask a wide variety of questions to help update the family history, note changes to the child’s social history, and review medication lists and allergies. We’ll ask about how your child is eating, pooping, peeing, and sleeping, and talk about how things are going in school and in life. And then at the end of the visit — after the questions have been answered and the physical examination completed — immunizations will be reviewed, discussed, and administered if due.

Earlier this year, the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health surveyed more than 1,300 parents with children between 1 and 12 years old about their experiences with pediatric well visits:

• 92% of parents said their child had a well check-up in the past two years.

• 2 out of 3 parents (67%) said their child always sees the same provider at well visits.

• About half (47%) said they schedule well visits with their child’s regular provider even if there is a long wait for an appointment.

• One-third (34%) felt strongly that their child was more likely to follow advice if it came from a provider their child knows well.

• Most parents recalled completing checklists and questionnaires at the time of their child’s check up, with 74% saying they received feedback from the provider about their child’s health and behavior.

• Only 25% of parents said they often come to the appointment prepared with a list of questions (54% sometimes have a list).

• 1 in 5 parents (22%) ask their 6-to-12-year-olds to think of questions they want to ask the provider.

 

According to the researchers, preparing for the visit is quite useful for keeping a well check-up on track:

The benefit of well visits is enhanced through parent preparation. In the weeks leading up to the visit, parents may want to keep a list of questions they want to ask the provider. This Mott Poll showed that 1 in 5 parents never jot down questions for the provider, which may represent missed opportunities to get advice from child health experts. As children get older, parents should involve them in thinking about any questions they have about their body or feelings; writing down the question will make it easier for them to remember. In particular, as children reach the upper elementary years, they may have questions about why their bodies are changing and what they can expect in the years ahead.

 

Some kids have one question and one question only for their provider: “Am I going to get a shot?”

Many children (and parents) get anxious about vaccines. Parents should avoid promising the child that there will be no shots; parents may not know whether the child is due for a vaccine at that visit. If a child seems especially fearful, parents should alert the provider and decide on strategies to ease that anxiety, such as distracting the child with stories or songs.

 

Having a second set of adult eyeballs and ears in the exam room can help parents make the most of a well visit:

It can be helpful for two adults to attend the well visit to help remember what the provider said or to watch any siblings who come along. In cases where parents disagree about some aspect of child health or safety, having both parents attend the well visit is a chance for the provider to offer accurate information and guidance to help parents make the best decisions for their child’s health.

 

Parents who stay up-to-date on health topics affecting their children can help guide discussions with the provider, says Marie Holmes:

While you shouldn’t turn to Dr. Google for a consult, you can still look for information from reliable sources about conditions your child has or milestones that you think they should be nearing. Your child’s provider can help guide you to good sources and sort through any myths or misconceptions that you may have heard from family, friends or social media.

 

Building a relationship with a trusted provider (or a group of providers) takes time, Holmes discovered:

Open communication, said [Mott researcher, Sarah] Clark, “is the basis of the relationship. You are trusting that person to do the best they can looking out for your kid.”

[Dr. Mona] Amin reiterated that it’s important to look around for the right provider, as “this person can be with you and your child through all the stages they will go through, from birth to potentially 21 years of age.”

 

Read The PediaBlog’s 4-part series on “Choosing A Pediatrician” starting here.

 

source https://www.thepediablog.com/2023/03/27/check-up-checklist/