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Be involved with all of your child’s health care events.
Medication
- Make sure the doctor knows all of the medications your child takes, as well as their current weight.
- Make sure the doctor knows all of your child’s allergies.
- Make sure you can read the prescription that your physician writes.
- At the pharmacy, ask if the medication given to you is the medication prescribed.
- Ask for information related to medication both from the physician and the pharmacist.
- Make sure you understand the labels on the various bottles of medication before you leave the pharmacy.
- Ask for the best device in which to measure your child’s medications.
- Ask for written information related to side effects for your child’s medications.
Hospital Stays
- Choose a hospital which often treats children, and has completed many similar procedures on other children.
- Ask every health care professional if they have washed their hands before they treat your child.
- Upon your child’s discharge from the hospital, ask the physician regarding what the treatment plan will be at home.
Surgery
- Make sure that you, the surgeon, and the child’s physician are all clear on exactly what procedure is to be performed.
Other Tips
- Speak up with any questions you have at the time you have them.
- Make sure you know who is in charge of your child’s care.
- Make sure that all health professionals have all of the important information they may need related to your child.
- Ask why each test and/or procedure is being done.
- Ask someone else (family/friend) to be there and serve as an advocate for you, especially if you do not feel comfortable in that role.
- Ask when the results will be available for any tests/procedures completed.
- Learn about your child’s diagnosis and treatments by asking questions of all health care professionals, as well as gathering information from other reliable resources.
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Source: American Academy of Pediatrics, 2003.
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