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Following my post on the Pedia with a Bad Hair Day, here are some signs that you have a good pedia, according to Parenting.com "Is your Pediatrician Good Enough".
1. "Doctor must return your calls promptly." Our official pedia always, answers and returns my phone calls, regardless of the time of the day.
2. "Doctor takes your concern seriously." Of course, first time parents are extra praning (paranoid) and we tend to worry too much but each concern should be worth the ear of the doctor. When my son had on and off fever, his pedia said he thinks it is just viral since he has colds, cough and it's just been 3 days, but he still had some tests done to rule out dengue.
3. "Doctor should ask your child's medical history." I remember when I was a child I was given a medication with penicillin and I couldn't breathe because of it. That lesson of providing clear medical history has been stuck to me since.
4. "Doctor should fully explain his medical decision." Like if the doctor decides to just give OTC instead of a dengue test he should explain why.
5. "Doctor should make an effort to develop rapport with your child." It seems Dr. Bad Hair Day, missed out heavily on this aspect. Even my elder children, who were with me noticed it. They said this is the first time the doctor, didn't ask them their name and what grade they were.
6. "Doctor must talk in a language you understand." He can't say yes, your child has acute coryza. O di ba? Parang nakakatakot? That is just the scientific name of a cough.
7. "Doctor must alert you of side effects and potential risk of the medication/treatment prescribed." Like our baby's shots for instance, doctors should explain that some shots are accompanied by fever so we wouldn't worry when our baby gets it.
8. "Doctor must discuss latest developmental and safety issues." My doctor would brush off a certain medication and say latest research shows the risks outweighs the benefits so we skip it. Somehow, I feel safer that my doctor is up to date.
9. "Doctor should be open to you getting a second opinion." When my son was maybe 3 months old, he would get into a short spasm when he is nursing. His pedia referred us to a pedia-neuro. It turned out that it was just spasms caused by his still underdeveloped nervous system. He outgrew the spasms in a month. My doctor was open to referring me to a specialist and the specialist assuaged our fears.
10. And last and most importantly, "Doctor must have good reputation and good credentials." I always ask other moms for referrals and whenever I'm in their office I always scan their walls for their diplomas and affiliations. For health card doctors, we can still do the research beforehand especially if we intend to keep the doctor for a lengthier period. Not just on a one time consultation basis.
Hope this short list helps. In the end, we always have a choice and it's the choice that should be best for our child:-)
Happy Pedia hunting!
Reference: http://www.parenting.com/article/is-your-pediatrician-good-enough