Paediatrics

General or Other | Paediatrics (Medicine Field)


Description

Paediatrics (also spelt Pediatrics in some countries) is the medical speciality that deals with the healthcare of children or young people. Its scope extends from birth (including babies born prematurely) to adolescence (age 16 to 18). Paediatricians may also work with obstetric and midwifery teams to counsel parents regarding potential or anticipated problems with an unborn child.

Specialization

A paediatrician is a doctor who provides specialist medical care to infants, children and adolescents. There are general paediatricians and specialist paediatricians such as paediatric cardiologists, gastroenterologists, developmental experts, etc. Some work in the country, some in private practice in the metropolitan area and some in hospitals.

Diagnosis, Treatment and Benefits

Children can not be considered to be small adults. There are many anatomical, physiological, immunological, psychological and developmental differences between adults and children. Many diseases present differently or have a different course in children and some diseases occur exclusively in children. Consideration needs to be given to the variable degree to which children can communicate symptoms and finally there are legal and ethical considerations surround the health care of people who are minors in a legal sense.

Paediatrics embraces a rich scope and variety ranging from high technology neonatal and paediatric intensive care to the management of the disabled child; the organisation of preventative services in the community to the intensive treatment of the child with cancer. It is a holistic specialty, which focuses on the child within a family, working to minimise the adverse effect of disease and to allow children to live as normal a life as possible. The concept of multi-disciplinary team working is advanced, providing integrated packages of care. ...