Pediatricians must stop ordering unnecessary services. But there’s some steps that savvy parents can take to prevent this, too.
Thousands of U.S. children over one year received unnecessary medical services that didn’t benefit their health, a new study suggests. And while experts say much of the change must come from pediatricians, there are still ways for savvy parents to minimize the possibility.
Physicians may want to satisfy patients and parents, particularly if they have a long-term relationship with the family. There are many reasons why a clinician might order a service that isn’t, on average, beneficial, said lead study author Kao-Ping Chua, a pediatrician and researcher at Michigan Medicine’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. They may want to satisfy patients and parents, particularly if they have a long-term relationship with the family.
But some unnecessary medical interventions can have potentially lifelong consequences for kids, he added, starting with cancer risk from radiation exposure related to medical X-ray imaging. Antibiotic drugs can also spur adverse reactions in children, research has shown, and studies suggest they could lead to health risks down the line.
Here’s what experts suggest to avoid unnecessary treatments: Don’t be shy. “Parents should ask questions and make sure that their pediatrician or any specialist isn’t trying to jump to the most extreme solution before trying some lower-intervention treatment prior to that,” said Erica Mobley, the director of operations at the Leapfrog Group, a health-care watchdog.
Know when it’s OK to keep your kid at home. Conditions like fevers, stomach bugs, GI infections and the common cold probably don’t require a doctor visit, said Matthew Schefft, a pediatric hospitalist at Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, as long as your kid is maintaining an appropriate weight, staying hydrated and going to the bathroom an appropriate amount.
Choose the appropriate location for care. Try calling your pediatrician’s office before deciding whether to go in, and opt for the pediatrician in non-emergency situations before heading to urgent care or the emergency room, Schefft said. Telemedicine through your health plan could also save you a trip to the pediatrician, Mobley said, as could communicating with the doctor’s office via email or instant messaging, if those are options.
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