A couple years ago, I treated an adorable 6 month old infant girl in the ER for a cold. The EMR (electronic medical record) highlighted that the family had recently been to the ER for a variety of other common complaints: diaper rashes, colic, sleep and breastfeeding problems – all issues that could have been handled in any pediatric office.
As this visit concluded, I mentioned that their pediatrician could help them with further issues. The baby’s mother looked perplexed. “We have an appointment tomorrow with her pediatrician but that’s for shots and measurements,” she mentioned. That was my light-bulb moment with this family – they truly did not understand the full role of their pediatrician in their daughter’s life. And, they are not alone.
