Best Pediatrician in Kavali
80 Top Pediatricians in Kavali listed below
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Getting started with a pediatrician
These days, it is not uncommon to hear of parents researching about and finalizing a pediatrician for their child even before they are born. Providing optimum healthcare to their child is the topmost priority of parents and rightfully so. MFine makes it all the more easier to find experienced pediatricians in your neighborhood from the comfort of your home.
A pediatrician is responsible not just for providing healthcare to your child, but they also provide expert care in other aspects of a child’s development – physical, mental and psychological. A pediatrician is the only doctor that sees your baby progressing from being an infant to growing up to be an adult and plays a pivotal role in their healthy growth journey.
Is there an age limit to stop seeing a pediatrician?
Some people believe that pediatricians should be the only doctors they consult for their children up to the age of 18 or 21 years, depending on the child’s adolescence journey. Oftentimes, pediatricians will themselves advise you to start consulting a physician when they feel that the child is now eligible to be treated under adult medicare.
In some cases, it so happens that once the child turns 18 which is the legal age in India when the child becomes an adult, many insurance plans no longer consider the child eligible for pediatric care. This may be another factor that a parent will take the leap from a pediatrician.
Why do people still continue seeing their pediatricians well into adulthood?
At times, one gets so comfortable with a particular doctor that they prefer to consult them even when they have outgrown the age of their specialty. And this phenomenon is of no major concern whatsoever.
A pediatrician is a specialty doctor who pursues a postgraduate degree to specialize in the field of pediatrics. The essential mandate to qualify for the PG degree is a five and a half year long MBBS program that also includes an internship. All general physicians who usually treat adults are generally just MBBS degree holders if they do not hold any other specializations.
A pediatrician is definitely equipped to treat an adult as well. However, considering their advanced study and research in the field of pediatrics, they are more adept at recognizing and addressing health concerns in infants and children.
Some of the reasons due to which people tend to stick to their pediatricians could be:
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- Higher education: Young adults, when opting for higher education often find themselves in a major transition area in their lives. In such a scenario, they generally prefer not to go the extra mile in search of a new doctor. They like to be in a comfort zone that provides them with a sense of familiarity. Adjusting to a lot of changes at once while coping with their changing bodies might become too much for some individuals, and hence, they stick to their pediatrician of choice.
- Chronic conditions or disabilities: Individuals suffering from a certain chronic condition prefer staying with their pediatrician even into adulthood due to the fact that their doctor is familiar with the history of their disease and knows how their bodies will adapt to what kind of treatment.
This makes the patients and their kin be more confident about managing emergencies
What do pediatricians feel about consulting adults?
In most cases, a pediatrician’s willingness to consult adults who have been under their treatment for a long time depends on their personal preference. A very small ratio of pediatricians feel that they are not very well equipped to deal with the medical requirements of an adult over 21 years of age.
This belief amongst doctors, however, is very rare. During medical education and basic training (internship), all doctors are exposed to a fair amount of adult medicine. Most doctors are, in fact, of the opinion that turning down a patient on the basis of their age is a disservice to the profession in addition to it being unfair to the patient.
Essentially, patients suffering from chronic illnesses like sickle cell disease, chronic asthma, congenital disabilities or intellectual disabilities are more at benefit when they receive primary care from their pediatrician even into adulthood.
In cases with chronic illness, a new doctor will tend to have less patience and will have a hard time understanding the patient’s behavior. Patients with special needs may also find it hard to adjust to the adult healthcare setup and instead feel more comfortable in a pediatric clinic that is more child friendly and familiar to them.
When is it time to switch doctors?
When you notice that your now adolescent child is visibly uncomfortable waiting amongst kids in the doctor’s clinic and doesn’t like being treated like one by the doctor and the support staff, it’s probably time to make the switch. When a child has attained adult weight or reached the age of 12 or 15 years, the child can be referred to a physician.
It is, however, important for you to have a detailed discussion with your child if they would really prefer going to another doctor. If they share any inhibitions or hints towards factors pointing more towards adult health or psychological concerns, then it’s definitely time to move on.
Conclusion
The decision to transition from a pediatrician to an adult doctor should be made by collectively considering the unwillingness of your pediatrician to consult anymore and your child’s desire to stay with the same doctor, keeping the child’s age or weight in mind.
It is a rewarding experience for doctors to see their patients transition into adulthood. It is a prime transition period for young adults as well. It is thus crucial to put their best interests as the topmost priority when making this decision. MFine makes it easy for you to find pediatricians and specialist doctors in your neighborhood.
You need not worry when you find yourself at this crossroads of decision-making. Providing quality healthcare and from a place where your child feels most comfortable to open up are the only two key factors that should drive your decision in this regard. Good luck!