Pediatric HouseCalls Online - Instructions and Disclaimer
Instructions
Pediatric HouseCalls Online
The first purpose of Pediatric HouseCalls Online, is to help you determine how sick your child is and if you need to call your child's doctor. The second purpose is to help you treat your child at home when it is safe to do so.Your doctor's advice and your good judgment should always take precedence over information in these topics.
Here are some instructions for using HouseCalls Online:
- Choose the Appropriate Topic.
- Choose the topic that most closely matches your child's symptoms. If your child has more than one symptom, address the most serious symptom. Serious means the symptom that potentially could cause the most harm to your child. (Example: for nosebleed and head injury together, use the Head Injury guideline.) If you aren't sure which topic to use, use more than 1 guideline.
- Caution: don't use the fever guideline unless fever is your child's only symptom. If your child also has a cough, diarrhea or other symptom, go to that topic instead of fever. Choosing the appropriate symptom is very important because it leads you to the best information for your child's illness or injury.
- Read the Definition. Go to the chosen topic and read the Definition to be sure it's a good fit for your child's problem. If not, consider related symptoms listed under the section, "See More Appropriate Topic (instead of this one)."
- Read the When to Call Your Doctor - Decision Chart Section: Following the Definition section in each topic, there is a Decision Chart, which gives options for what action you should take, including Call 911, Call Your Doctor Now, Call Your Doctor in 24 Hours, and so on. Below each response is a list of symptoms/reasons for using that option. Read through these bulleted items. Read from top to bottom and don't skip any symptoms or reasons. The purpose of these is to help you determine the seriousness of your situation.
- Follow the Suggestions in the Decision Chart. If your child has even one of the serious or other "Call Your Doctor" symptoms, stop reading the list of reasons to call your doctor and take the action suggested in the heading at the top of the list. If the recommendation is to call your doctor within 24 hours or during weekday office hours, refer to the Home Care Advice section to help you keep your child comfortable until then.
- Follow Home Care Advice. If your child has none of the "Call Your Doctor" symptoms, follow the Home Care Advice listed in the final section. But watch your child carefully for any worsening or new symptoms. If your condition changes for the worse, calling your doctor again is a good idea.
- Reader's Responsibility. Finally, you are in control of this process. If you think or feel your child needs to be seen, call your doctor for assistance or go to the nearest emergency department.
If you think that your child is having a medical emergency, call 911 or the number for the local emergency ambulance service NOW!
And when in doubt, call your doctor NOW or go to the closest emergency department.
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When to Call Your Doctor
Pediatric HouseCalls Online
Parent Responses to Illness and Injury
One of the purposes of these guidelines is to help you determine how sick your child is. Then it is time to make a decision and act. By reading the questions and using your common sense, you should be able to fit your child into one of the five following When to Call Your Doctor categories:
Call 911 Now (your child may need an ambulance)
- Definition: Your child may have a life-threatening emergency
- Action:Immediately call 911 or your Emergency Medical Response system.
Call Your Doctor Now (night or day)
- Definition: Your child may have a non-life-threatening emergency or urgent condition
- Action: Call your child's doctor immediately. If you can't reach your doctor within 60 minutes, go to the nearest emergency room by car. If you don't have a doctor, go to the ER now.
Call Your Doctor Within 24 Hours (between 9am and 4pm)
- Definition: Your child probably has a nonurgent illness that may require a specific test (such as a throat culture) or an antibiotic (such as for an ear infection). Your child may need to be seen, but it can safely wait for up to 24 hours.
- Action: If the office is open, call now. If the office is closed now, but will be open within 24 hours, call when it opens. If the office won't be open within the next 24 hours, call your doctor's answering service between 9 AM and 4 PM on any day of the week (including weekends and holidays) for assistance. If you don't have a doctor, go to an urgent care center or ER within the next 24 hours.
Call Your Doctor During Weekday Office Hours
- Definition: Your child has a nonurgent symptom or illness that has lasted longer than expected (such as a persistent cough or localized rash) but usually carries no risk of complications. Your child may need to be seen in the office but can safely wait a few days if it's the weekend or a holiday.
- Action: If the office is open, call now. Otherwise, call during scheduled weekday office hours on Monday - Friday. (This category therefore excludes weekends and holidays.) If you don't have a doctor, choose a doctor and make an appointment to be seen within the next 3 days.
Parent Care at Home
- Definition: Your child has a mild illness that's usually self-limited or harmless. Follow the detailed home care advice that's provided in each guideline.
- Action: Your child can be safely cared for by you at home. Call your doctor if your child's condition becomes worse.
If you think that your child is having a medical emergency, call 911 or the number for the local emergency ambulance service NOW!
And when in doubt, call your doctor NOW or go to the closest emergency department.
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Disclaimer
Pediatric HouseCalls Online
The information contained in these topics is not intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice, it is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.
Always seek the advice of your physicianor other qualified healthcare provider before starting any new treatment or discontinuing an existing treatment. Talk with your healthcare provider about any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Nothing contained in these topics is intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.
- Not a Substitute- The information and materials in Pediatric HouseCalls Online should not be used as a substitute for the care and knowledge that your physician can provide to you.
- Supplement- The information and materials presented here in Pediatric HouseCalls Online are meant to supplement the information that you obtain from your physician. If there is a disagreement between the information presented herein and what your physician has told you -- it is more likely that your physician is correct. He or she has the benefit of knowing your child's medical problems.
- Limitations- You should recognize that the information and materials presented here in Pediatric HouseCalls Online have the following limitations, in comparison to being examined by your own physician:
- You can have a conversation with your child's doctor.
- Your child's doctor can perform a physical examination and any necessary tests.
- Your child could have an underlying medical problem that requires a physician to detect.
- If your child is taking medications, they could influence how he experiences various symptoms.
If you think that your child is having a medical emergency, call 911 or the number for the local emergency ambulance service NOW!
And when in doubt, call your child's doctor NOW or go to the closest emergency department.
By using this website, you accept the information provided herein "AS IS." Neither publishers nor the providers of the information contained herein will have any liability to you arising out of your use of the information contained herein or make any express or implied warranty regarding the accuracy, content, completeness, reliability, or efficacy of the information contained within this website.
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