What is pediatrics?
Pediatrics is the branch of medicine that promotes, monitors and cares for the health of people during the development phase.
This stage goes from birth to adolescence.
The professionals in this area carry out diagnoses and treatment of the pathologies typical of these ages, in addition to coordinating promotion and prevention activities that allow for comprehensive medical care and, if necessary, provide continuous care when any developmental abnormality is found.
Promotion and prevention activities include: vaccination, family care and growth and development controls.
Pediatricians are equivalent to the specialist in internal medicine in adults!
Comprehensive care during development:
It is important to keep in mind that to ensure optimal development , parents and professionals must work as a team.
For example, it is the parents' responsibility to attend medical check -ups and promotion and prevention programs. In this way, early detection of diseases that put children 's lives at risk is facilitated .
For their part, pediatricians will always seek adequate care according to the needs of the patient and their families.
If necessary, the professional will resort to examinations or referral to other specialties to complement and support the study and treatment of the patient. In this way, an accurate diagnosis is guaranteed , from which a treatment is proposed.
The latter can include medications, therapies, procedures and even surgeries if necessary.
It should be kept in mind that comprehensive treatment includes meticulous and constant monitoring . Thus, the probability of mortality and the appearance of complications are reduced.
However, for it to be successful, it is essential that parents adhere to the treatment.
That is, follow the instructions of the professional and try to maintain a relationship of trust and openness.
For this parent-professional relationship to work, the pediatrician will establish direct, clear and friendly communication.
Pediatricians are trained to answer questions and point out important things to parents. For example, pediatricians should train family members to detect warning signs.
Thus, they will know when they should take the minor to medical emergencies.
Promotion of healthy habits:
As mentioned above, the promotion of habits is one of the most useful interventions in pediatrics. This includes:
- Promote exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life.
- Explain to parents the concept of neophobia (baby's rejection of new foods).
- Prepare parents to deal with functional loss of appetite in the second year of life.
- Stimulate regular or immediate controls if you observe any different behavior in the child. Don't let it go by assuming it's normal.
- Provide strategies to stimulate the child.
- Promote the application of vaccines.
- Promote adherence in medical treatments , in the case of children with some pathology.
The promotion of healthy eating habits:
The pediatric professional promotes the acquisition of good eating habits from early stages of life. Pediatricians introduce parents to the normal developmental physiology of eating behavior.
However, this process can present difficulties, such as neophobia or rejection of eating new foods . When this occurs, professionals provide strategies to parents, which are accompanied by ongoing education and guidance .
Consequently, it is essential that parents adopt the measures indicated by the pediatrician. Thus, it will be guaranteed that little by little the child acquires the necessary eating habits for optimal development:
Remember that the phrase: "the child does not like to eat that" can be an obstacle to good nutrition. Children often reject food because it is inadequately prepared or because it is new (new textures and flavors).
Therefore, if the child rejects the food, a different preparation can be tried. Also, you can insist little by little , until the child gets used to the new food.
final notes:
Human development is a complex process , in which multiple factors intervene.
Consequently, making it happen in a healthy way is also a challenge in which multiple actors must participate.
The commitment of professionals, parents and caregivers and their teamwork is fundamental.
However, not only these actions are enough to achieve well-being in minors.
Required: family support, educational actions and state policies to ensure adequate care for the child population.
