A pediatrician is a medical doctor who specializes in the care of infants, children, and adolescents. Pediatricians can be either generalists or subspecialists. Generalists are pediatricians who provide comprehensive care for all children from birth to adulthood. Subspecialists are pediatricians who limit their practice to a particular area of child health, such as adolescent medicine or pediatric cardiology. The term “pediatrician” comes from the Greek words “ped” (meaning “child”) and “iatros” (meaning “doctor”).
Pediatricians provide comprehensive care for their patients, from preventive health care to the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic illnesses. They also serve as consultants to other physicians and health care providers.
The scope of pediatric practice includes:
- Preventive health care, including immunizations
- Management of acute illnesses, such as infections and injuries
- Management of chronic illnesses, such as asthma and diabetes
- Nutrition
- Growth and development
- Behavioral health
- Pediatricians may also provide services such as:
- Newborn care
- Well-child care
- Sports medicine
- Adolescent medicine
- The care of children with special needs
- The care of children who are hospitalized
- The care of children who have been abused or neglected
- The care of children with chronic illnesses
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Advantages of Having a Pediatrician
The advantages of having a pediatrician as your medical home provider include:
1. Comprehensive care: Pediatricians are trained to provide comprehensive care for all children from birth to adulthood. This means that they are familiar with the normal development of children and are able to identify and treat problems early.
2. Continuous care: Pediatricians provide continuous care for children, which means they see children through all stages of development. This continuity of care allows pediatricians to get to know their patients and their families and to provide more personalized care.
3. Family-centered care: Pediatricians provide care that is family-centered, which means they work with families to meet the health care needs of their children. This type of care includes education and support for families, as well as coordination of care with other providers.
4. Coordinated care: Pediatricians coordinate care with other providers, such as specialists, to make sure that children receive the care they need.
5. Accessible care: Pediatricians provide care that is accessible, which means they are available when families need them and they make sure that families can get the care they need.
Disambiguation
The term “pediatrician” can be used to refer to a medical doctor who specializes in the care of infants, children, and adolescents, or it can be used to refer to a general practitioner who provides care for all children from birth to adulthood.
This image shows how often the term ‘Pediatrician’ is used in relation to other, similar birth terms:
Other Related Terms
Terms closely associated with Pediatrician include:
- Childhood
- Children
- Infancy
- Pediatrics
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