by Janet Craig RN, MS, PNP
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Don’t be surprised if your doctor starts pushing you to be more “engaged” in your child’s care. What does that mean? Patient engagement means you:
- Keep track of medical information
- Are on top of chronic conditions, even if your child has several
- Become familiar with medications, diagnoses, and test results
- Stay informed of treatment plans
- Seek preventive care
Studies have shown that those who do all of the above see better outcomes, incur lower costs, and can help prevent mistakes and oversights in your child’s care. Unfortunately many of us lack the knowledge, skills, and confidence to become engaged. No medical tests are more important than your ability to express your concern to your child’s doctor. Don’t be afraid to speak up. Your doctor will appreciate your involvement.
How to Stay Engaged in Your Child’s Care
So what can you do? Here are some tips to become and stay engaged in your child’s care.
- Become familiar with your child’s medical records. Use resources to access your child’s medical data like My Health (an Intermountain Healthcare website) if possible.
- When taking your child to see the doctor, make a list of your health concerns in advance.
- Write down your questions, keep a journal, and list your child’s medications–even herbal therapies and homeopathic treatments.
- Communicate your child’s symptoms as accurately as possible, and provide a timeline of events.
- Take along a written list and read them in order. Which symptom came first? How long did it last? How often did it occur? Suspected causes? (This is where a journal can help you keep track of dates, times, frequency, etc.)
- Ask your child questions so you can describe things as specifically as possible. “What does it feel like?” “How long does it last?” “What makes it better or worse?”
- Be honest. If you fear the worst, tell your child’s doctor so your worries can be addressed.
- Disclose everything.
- Have you been to other doctors or specialists?
- What tests have you had? Traditional medical tests and those not so traditional.
- What you have learned from friends, family, the internet
- What confuses you?
For those of you who are tech savvy, there are a lot of apps that can be used to help manage your health care.* And, remember: practice makes perfect. If you use these tips every time you see your child’s doctor you will become more engaged. And we all know that healthcare engagement leads to … a happy healthy relationship!
Additional Resources:
Kids Health - An educational resource with information about illness, parenting, and many other health topics.
Health Hub - Intermountain Healthcare’s New App that helps you find clinics, save your place in line, manage prescriptions, learn about symptoms, and more.
Top 10 Apps Physicians Recommend to their Patients - from Medical Economics.
Symptom Checker - by HealthyChildren.org (from the American Academy of Pediatrics)
* The FDA is actively involved in monitoring the development of mobile medical apps. They work closely with experts to determine safety and accuracy. Some apps are for patients and some are for healthcare providers. Remember, the apps are merely tools to help you. For any decisions regarding your health care, you should still speak with your provider. Learn more.
