SA Paediatricians

Paediatricians - Australian Business Directory | LocalBook

Paediatricians are doctors who specialize in newborns, babies, children and adolescents. They might also be called children’s doctors, paediatric specialists, children's specialists, children's medical practitioners, qualified family medical practitioners, primary care pediatricians, hospital based medical specialists or consultant paediatricians. There are two primary reasons for having a separate medical field for children: 1) Maturing body and 2) Parental consent.

Sub fields of pediatric care include adolescents, allergy, behavioral development, cardiology, critical care, dermatology, eating disorders, emergency medicine, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious disease, pulmonology, respiratory, rheumatology, sleep, sports medicine, neonatology and neurology. Before a child enters school, parents might want to bring him to a developmental paediatrician. You can have your child compared to others of his age group to determine how he fares based on physical, behavioral and emotional development.

First, a child's body is still maturing and this must be considered when diagnosing and prescribing medical treatments. Babies might learn how to talk and walk, completely changing their lives. They might outgrow their clothes. A child's body might change dramatically between doctor visits. Adolescents will have raging hormones, leading to acne and pimples. Certain medication could stunt growth, so a well-qualified adolescent doctor will be more careful with what he prescribes. Also, measurements of weight and height might be more important at this time. What is the normal weight for a girl of 15 years old? Which foods are the best for growth? A paediatrician understands how medicine should be used to treat different age groups.

Second, a child is a minor. He is not fully conscious and cannot give consent for performing treatments, medications or surgeries. Therefore, this form of family medicine requires the parents to make the final choice. It becomes more of a group decision with the doctor spending a lot of time explaining the child's condition to his parents.

Paediatrician schooling might include a Doctorate of Medicine, Osteopathic Medicine, Paediatrics or Surgery. Paediatricians might be fellows of the Australian Paediatric Society, Australian Paediatric Orthopaedic Society, Australian College of Paediatrics or Paediatric Research Society of Australia.

Be pro-active in helping your child develop properly by bringing him to your local Australian paediatrician. You can find good ones at your Australian Local Business Directory: LocalBook. LocalBook is your source for finding qualified family medical practitioners.