Sept. 27, 2018 | According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, about nine out of 10 American adults struggle to understand health information. Making sure that parents understand health information related to their child’s health is important for their child to get healthy and stay healthy. One of the most important parts of taking good care of your child’s health is being able to talk to their doctor. That’s not always easy but here are four steps to help you get the most out of your child’s doctors’ visits. Just remember the word STAR. The S is for schedule, be sure to schedule the right kind of appointment. T is for take, take all the items and information that you need. A is for ask, ask all of your questions. And R is for repeat, don’t forget to repeat back to your doctor what you understood from the visit. Making sure that you understand health information and what to do to avoid sickness and injury is important for communities to get healthy and stay healthy.

Sept. 27, 2018 | One of the most important parts of taking good care of your child’s health is being able to talk to their doctor. The first step in getting the most out of your child’s doctors’ visit is making sure you schedule the right kind of visit for your child. Decide if your child needs a sick visit or a well visit. This may sound simple, but it is very important. When the clinic knows exactly what you’re coming for, they can block out enough of the doctor’s time. Of course, if your child is currently sick, you need a sick visit. But you also need a sick visit when your child is feeling okay but you need to talk about a long-term problem, like asthma or ADHD. A well visit is to talk about overall health, not a specific health problem. During a well visit, you will talk about your child’s growth, sleep, eating habits, play habits, shots, how things are doing at home and at school, and how well they are meeting certain milestones. These kind of visits usually last longer than sick visits.

Sept. 27, 2018 | It’s important to remember to take certain things with you when you and your child see their pediatrician. You will get the most out of your child’s visit if you take important information with you to the doctor. One of the most helpful items you can bring is a list of the things you want to talk about. Think about these ahead of time and write them down. If you are going to the doctor for a sick visit you should write down your child’s symptoms, how long they have been going on, what you did to treat them and if the treatment helped. As far as what to pack, you should take the medicines your child is taking as well as snacks and other items to entertain the child. You always need your insurance card and an ID, too. If possible you should have someone watch your other children who are not being seen by the doctor. This can help you focus on what the doctor is saying. It also keeps them from being exposed to germs in the sick areas of the clinic.

Sept. 27, 2018 | Asking questions is a common way to learn. Asking questions can be particularly educational when it comes to your child’s health. Your child’s doctors, nurses, and everyone at their clinic all want the same thing you do, for your child to be healthy. Chances are, your doctor gives you a lot of information to help you care for your child. If you don’t understand something they tell you, be sure to speak up and ask. Your child’s doctor wants you to ask questions. They know that sometimes, they may give you too much information, and sometimes they use medical words to explain things. They want you to speak up when this happens. If you feel out of place asking your doctor questions, try saying something like, “I’m not sure I understand that word. Can you explain it to me?” or “Excuse me, but I didn’t quite get that. Could you say that again?”  Everyone benefits when you have the information you need to take care of your child.

Sept. 27, 2018 | Health-care professionals have their own culture and language. This is the result of their training and work environment. One of the best things you can do during a trip to the pediatrician with your child is to make sure you leave the visit knowing what is going to happen next and what actions you are responsible for. For a well visit, you want to be sure you know everything the doctor wants you to do to keep your child healthy. For a sick visit, you need to be sure you know what health problem your child has, how it will be treated, if they need any further visits and who is making those appointments. You can take care of this by repeating back to the doctor what you understand about the visit. You can say something like, “You gave me a lot of information. Let me be sure I understand….” or “We have several next steps. Let’s be sure we’re on the same page”….and then repeat out loud what you know about those next steps.