What Is Pediatric Primary Care?
The word “pediatric” comes from the Greek words for “child” and “doctor or healer.” Thus, a pediatrician is a doctor who specializes in treating children. Pediatric primary care in San Diego is general medical care for patients who are up to 18 years old. Different pediatricians provide specialized care to infants, children, and teenagers.
Like a primary care physician for adults, a primary care pediatrician will be the chief source of medical care. A parent with a sick or injured child should typically call them before anybody else. Also like an adult primary care physician, the pediatric primary care physician can refer the patient to specialists when necessary.
A pediatric primary care physician will often treat the following conditions:
Allergies
Flu
Scoliosis
Mononucleosis
Stomach flu
Acne
The pediatric primary care physician can also advise a patient’s parents on ways to keep their children healthy. In addition to educating them about diet and exercise, they can also teach parents about car seat safety, cyber-bullying or protecting their children from aggressive dogs. The primary care pediatrician can also advise parents about seasonal problems, like swimming pools or sunburn during summer or hypothermia during winter. Similarly, they can advise parents about how to help their children prepare for kindergarten, school or college.
The pediatric primary care physician can also help parents of infants or small children monitor their children’s developmental milestones. In many cases, the doctor will reassure the parents that their children are meeting their milestones. They can also spot delays and arrange to have a specialist examine their children. The pediatric primary care physician will also monitor the children’s vaccination schedules and ensure that they have had all their shots by the time they start school.
