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Can't Wait for Spring!!!!!!!!!
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With the Super Bowl over and February Vacation coming round the corner, all of us are thinking about warmer times. Just a reminder that President's Day (February 18th) we will be on our regular holiday schedule - open from 9 am until noon, in the Westwood office only. Also, we have implemented our new phone system in both offices. As with any large undertaking there have been a few glitches, and we appreciate your patience. Any feedback you have is, as always, more than welcome. |
| The Flu - Signs, Symptoms, and Treatment
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We haven't seen too many cases of confirmed flu in our offices yet, but rest assured, they will come. Many of our patients can be treated at home, without need for an office visit if you know what the signs and symptoms of the flu are, and how to treat the flu if you or your children come down with this common viral illness. The most common symptoms of the flu are fever (anywhere from 101 to 105 F), chills, muscle aches, cough, congestion, sore throat, fatigue, and nausea. Often times, parents are concerned their child may have Strep throat rather than the flu, however, the cough and congestion of the flu are unusual in cases of Strep. Treatment is for the most part supportive - lots of fluids, rest, and fever control.
When do we need to see you? We become suspicious that our patients may be developing a secondary infection following the flu when the fever lasts more than 5 days, the fever goes away completely for 24 to 48 hours and then returns, or there are specific signs of worsening infection such as ear pain or respiratory difficulty. If any of these appear in your child, we ask that you call to make an appointment. There are times when antiviral medication may be appropriate as well. If your child has significant asthma or if a family member is seriously ill, it may be prudent to start anti-viral medication early in the course of the flu to decrease the length of the course, and the severity of the disease. |
| Car Safety Seat Ease of Use Ratings
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A new five star government rating system grades child safety seats on how easy they are to properly install, and will help guide parents and caregivers in choosing the right car seat to keep their child safe. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration has released these ratings on their website http://www.nhtsa.gov . All the car seats rated are safe by Federal Safety Standards, but are rated on four different categories as to their ease of use. These categories include: Evaluation of Instructions, Vehicle Installation Features, Evaluation of Labels, and Securing the Child. Check out this informative website today! |
| 0-1 Year Olds: Hey, Whose Check-Up is this Anyway?
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We are excited to be announcing two new ways that we are making sure our patients are healthy by making sure our patient's parents are healthy.
We are now offering the Adacel vaccine to all parents and caregivers at the 1 month well-visit. The Adacel vaccine contains vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis.
As mentioned in the previous newsletter, pertussis (better known as whooping cough), is an extremely contagious bacterial illness that is most commonly spread in winter. In infants, pertussis can be life-threatening because of the respiratory complications associated with this illness. While babies are vaccinated in infancy, their immunity is not complete until they have been fully vaccinated with the primary series (finished at 15 months in our practice). By immunizing parents and others who take care of your children, we can potentially prevent infection in infants. The vaccine will cost $50 at the time of administration. We will give you a sheet that you may submit to your insurance company for potential reimbursement. You should also bring it along to your next primary care visit so that your doctor can document in your medical record the receipt of this vaccine. Parents who have received a tetanus vaccine within the past two years or have had an allergic reaction to vaccines in the past will not be able to receive this vaccine.
We have also implemented postpartum depression screening at both the 1 month and 6 month well-child visits. Postpartum depression can affect up to 10% of new mothers and can present any time in the first year after birth. Women at higher risk are those with a history of anxiety and depression, as well as those who have had difficulties getting pregnant or had difficult pregnancies. Medication can be very helpful for many women, and does not prevent ongoing breastfeeding. |
| 1-5 Year Olds: Preventing Burn Injuries
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Every year, toddlers and young children are burned accidently. Time and time again, these burns happen in the same setting and with a little extra care we hope you can prevent your child from being burned. The following are some helpful tips on preventing burns:
- Don't hold your baby when you are cooking or drinking anything hot - he or she may grab for it.
- Keep coffee pots, irons, hot foods, and boiling water away from the edge of the table or stove.
- Turn pot handles toward the back of the stove so children cannot reach them.
- Use a cool mist humidifier instead of a steam vaporizer.
- Put fireplace screens around fireplaces and radiators. Keep space heaters out of children's reach. Never leave them unattended around a fire.
- Make sure your child's pajamas are flame resistant.
- Keep children away from electrical cords and replace any frayed cords. Put outlet covers on all unused outlets.
- Install and check your fire detectors on a regular basis. Teach your child the best way to get out of the house in case of fire.
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5-10 Year Olds: When Parenting Isn't Easy
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Are you frustrated with your child not doing homework or cleaning their room? Today, there are so many parenting books out there, that it is difficult to determine which ones are credible. Dr. Hartman recently attended a conference sponsored by the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at which they spoke about "The Kazdin Method for Parenting the Defiant Child", authored by Dr. Alan Kazdin. Dr. Kazdin is the director of the Yale Parenting Center and Child Conduct Clinic. Read this book and look at the DVD in the back - based on sound research, it is an excellent resource for you and any behavioral specialists your child may be working with. |
| 9-13 Year Olds: WHAT???
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Did your child receive an iPod for the holidays or does he have one already? It is estimated that 12.5% of children ages 6 to 19 will have noise-induced hearing loss. We know that hearing loss accumulates and is irreversible. On many iPods, there are parental volume control limits that can be password protected. Please look at the following guidelines as to what is safe for your child. Remember if you can hear it, it's too loud.
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% of volume control |
Over-the-Ear |
iPod in-the-ear |
Noise-canceling |
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10-50% |
No Limit |
No Limit |
No Limit |
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60% |
No Limit |
18 Hours |
14 Hours |
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70% |
20 Hours |
4.6 Hours |
3.4 Hours |
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80% |
4.9 Hours |
1.2 Hours |
50 Minutes |
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90% |
1.2 Hours |
18 Minutes |
12 Minutes |
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100% |
18 Minutes |
5 Minutes |
3 Minutes |
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13-20 Year Olds: Adolescents and Issues of Consent and Confidentiality
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Dr. Martha Perry, who completed a three year fellowship in Adolescent Medicine after her pediatric residency reviews the consent laws below.
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Generally, unless a medical emergency exists, adolescents must be 18 years or older to give consent to medical treatment or to request that their medical information be kept confidential. Minors who are living apart from their parents (or minors who are themselves parents) are considered legally emancipated and can consent to any treatment except abortion (unless they are married, divorced, or widowed, in which case abortion can be performed without parental consent). The following are some circumstances in which minors are legally able to consent to treatment without parental consent:
- minors can consent to family planning services, testing and treatment of STDs
- minors can consent to medical treatment (except abortion) if they are pregnant or think
they may be
- minors (age 12 years and older) can consent to substance abuse treatment
- minors (age 16 years and older) can consent to mental health treatment
- minors (age 16 years and older) can consent to admission to a mental health facility
We prefer that management and decisions about the above issues involve the parents. However, years of research have demonstrated that teenagers will not disclose information to their healthcare providers if they feel that this communication is not confidential. Information pertaining to substance use (alcohol, cigarettes, drugs), mental health, and sexuality are privileged and protected by law, but we welcome your input if you have concerns about these issues affecting your adolescent. In the event that a minor discloses suicidal thoughts (or if their life is thought to be in danger), confidentiality may legally be breached and we will involve parents in the discussion.
When we visit with your adolescent, we will do everything in our power to encourage your adolescents to involve you in their medical care and psychosocial issues, but our primary job is to provide all adolescents with healthcare services they trust. We look forward to working with you to keep your adolescent safe and happy as the traverse the challenging years leading to adulthood. |
| Reaching Beyond Ourselves
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Westwood-Mansfield Pediatric Associates is dedicated to reducing the Lyme Disease burden in the communities we serve. We have contributed money to a potential PBS film educating people about Lyme disease. We continue to run a Regional Lyme Committee and will be sponsoring a second annual seminar on Lyme Disease on April 30th. We are working with the curriculum coordinators in various towns to bring Lyme Disease education to our schools. In addition, we continue to hand out that ever present Tick Shower Card.
Internationally, we have donated two microscopes for the development of a lab in the Juampas, Haiti Clinic. We are excited to announce that the clinic will begin to deliver babies in the next couple months. | |
