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Page 4 A
PARENT'S GUIDE TO Q: How Do Families Interview Doctors? When you have your list of referrals, begin the process of "interviewing" the prospective doctors. Talking to doctors about their areas of interest is not uncommon; there is no reason to feel uncomfortable about such a process. Begin by phoning the physician's office. Ask to speak to the receptionist or nurse first and ask again if this doctor sees children like yours in his/her practice. If the answer is yes, or if the nurse seems positive about the doctor's interest in children like yours, ask for the doctor to give you a call. Doctors usually set aside some time each day to return calls; be sure to make it clear that this call will take a bit longer than most and that you would like him/her to phone when there is time to talk for about 5 or 10 minutes. Do this for each of the doctors on your referral list. If your family receives medical care through a clinic, talk to the person in charge to learn how the public health department works with children who need in-depth medical attention. Find out what services are available, how to access them, who is the case manager or keeper of all the records, and the eligibility requirements for all of this. Ask what interagency relationships this clinic has with other health care providers in your state and with the education department, when applicable. If the person you are asking does not know the answers to your questions, ask who on staff is familiar with your needs. If the person you are asking is too busy to talk to you, ask when you could come back or when he/she could phone you so you will have time to discuss your concerns. There are policies for public health clinics to work with other medical facilities to meet the needs of children with unique or chronic health care difficulties. You will need to keep asking questions until you find the person who can make these connections for you. By asking lots of questions, you can learn how to work effectively with your state's and county's public health service to provide all the specialized medical services your child may need. Q: What Do You Say to a Doctor You've Never Met? A: When you speak to the doctor, again explain your child's unique needs and your family's expectations. Ask if children like yours are an area of interest to him/her. Ask the most important questions on your list of expectations for a pediatrician for your child. Does he/she have experience with children who have social or behavior difficulties? Does he/she feel comfortable working in a team type situation with other specialists, the family and schools? (A suggested list of questions is listed at the end of this article.) After you have asked these questions to all the doctors on your list, you may want to make an appointment to see the doctor whose responses were most positive and favorable. You will be the one who makes this judgement based on your wants and his/her responses to your questions, and general attitude to your needs. If you would like to first bring your child in for the doctor to examine, then ask if it is possible to arrange an appointment which possibly may last longer than usual. If your child has difficulty waiting and does not do well sitting in a doctor's office, schedule your appointment either first thing in the morning or as the first appointment after lunch. Appointments are made by the receptionist/secretary not the doctor, so be sure to let the receptionist know that your child will not be able to wait comfortably (or you will be uncomfortable controlling your child in a waiting room) and you will take the next available appointment which can guarantee little or no waiting, even if that means setting the appointment weeks in advance. Your stress level is important too, if you do not want to deal with an active child in a crowded doctor's office, then plan your visits in advance and avoid distressing situations. In clinics there are also times which are less busy. If your child cannot comfortably sit in a clinic to wait for the doctor, talk to the nurse in charge and explain the problem. Ask what times of day are least busy. Frequently the very end of the day is the quietest, since many patients have already left and the staff is interested in finishing appointments for the day. Q: What Should a Family Do Before the First Visit to the Doctor? A: This "new" doctor will need information about your child and his/her medical history. Before the first appointment, be sure all medical records are either mailed or delivered to the doctor's office. It would be useful for these records to arrive at least a week before your visit so that the doctor has time to look them over. If your child has already been seen by specialists, have these reports sent to the doctor too. If your child has educational assessments, send these along as well. The more the doctor knows about your child, the better able he/she is to discuss your concerns. Requesting that medical records be sent to another doctor is routine. You should not feel uncomfortable requesting your child's records. If your child has already been seeing a doctor, it is always acceptable to request an additional opinion without insulting the first doctor. You can phone or write to the first doctor's office and say, "I am interested in discussing my child's situation with another doctor to get additional opinions. Please send a copy of my child's records to Dr. (fill in the name) at (give the mailing address)." You
might also make a list of topics for discussion with the "new" doctor.
Since many children are shy around a doctor, especially one they've
never met before, you may need to bring up problems which the doctor
cannot readily see. For instance, if you suspect your child may
have a language delay, say so. Then the doctor can try to initiate
more conversation from your child to better observe your concerns.
If you are worried about possible developmental delays, make a list
of things your child does or doesn't do to give the doctor concrete
examples of behavior he/she may not be able to observe in the office.
If you would like a referral for a hearing screening or vision tests,
be sure to mention this. Doctors can conduct preliminary visual,
hearing and speech screenings in their offices to help to determine
if a specialist is needed.
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