Pediatrics

A Doctor’s Role and Characteristics

As the name suggests, a doctor specialized in pediatrics, i.e. children’s health and diseases, follows up both healthy and unhealthy patients unlike in other sub-branches of medicine. The follow up of healthy children involves monitoring the child’s physical and mental development, and the link between any retardations and underlying illnesses is investigated. This includes follow up on vaccinations, iron or vitamin D deficiencies, hearing and vision screening and testing, and social pediatrics including monitoring for negligent or abusive treatment of children.

A child, defined as anyone under the age of 18 years, is a psychosocial being and when they fall ill, they are treated by a pediatrician. The development is ongoing at all ages, and even in months. Pediatricians focus closely on health issues and development of this rapidly and continuously growing organism.

Pediatricians carefully follow various national and international conferences and symposia relevant to their branch, allowing them to continually acquire and build on their knowledge of existing as well as emerging diseases in children around the world, and the therapeutic methodologies available to treat those illnesses. The profession of pediatrician is one which is continually renewed and developed. The essential characteristics of a pediatrician include having a compassionate posture to alleviate the child’s anxiety, demonstrating excellent communication skills, and having an analytical mindset and creative intelligence that help develop creative solutions to problems. No matter how well-versed a pediatrician is in the theoretical aspects of pediatrics, they would be incapable of even examining a patient if they are unable to communicate and connect with the patient and their family.

The treatment of child patients pivots around the principle of less medicine/more monitoring, and involves more frequent and longer hospitalizations and testing. The main purpose of using the inpatient setting is the allow uninterrupted monitoring of the patient by the physician.

Our Pediatrics Department offers diagnostic and therapeutic services for children with a staff of proficient pediatricians in outpatient, inpatient and neonatal intensive care settings.