With the advancement of medical science and increased pre and post natal care being taken, the moment when it is found about the existence of pregnancy the doctor suggests keeping full record starting from the first visit. Doctors make entry of development of foetus and child and continue to maintain records of all visits till the time of delivery.
This is basically the first record of medical history of the child and needs to be continued further. As per the medical researchers the first two to three years are a critical time for the development of the child and all later learning process depends upon this time. This is also the period when the child is advised to visit the doctor for routine and specialized medical check. An experienced medical expert will always keep a record of the visits and medicines suggested.
In case a child is taken to the emergency room of a hospital, the doctors attending upon him will not only like to know about the medical history of the child but will also ask for medical history of the parents. This is regarding medicines to which they may be allergic or medicines which have caused reaction earlier. Keeping all this in view it becomes essential to keep a complete record about the medical history of the child.
Post birth of the child, the first record book that is provided by the hospital to the parents is about the weight chart of the child at time of birth and at the time of leaving the hospital. This book also gives a detailed chart regarding immunization programme to be undertaken. When the child is taken for subsequent immunization this is necessary and the dispensary providing the services will make an entry in it. Similarly there are pages for recording weight of the child at regular intervals and medication provided by the attending doctor in case of sickness.
During early childhood infants get infected a number of times and this record is necessary to be maintained along with the particulars of medication provided. This information is especially important in case of adopted child in whose case the history and habits of biological parents is not known. This record provides early and ready information to the attending doctors in case of emergency when each second counts.
The record should comprise of information regarding the following matters:
- Allergies, in case the child is allergic to some medicine it should be clearly and predominantly mentioned in the record book. The child may be allergic to some medicine or atmospheric conditions or some food items. A ready record will enable the doctor to be careful while prescribing medicines for the current sickness.
- Earlier medication record will enable the doctor to know as to which medicines are safe for the child or medicines which can cause side effects. The doctor will also know about the medication given in recent time for some medical problem resulting in avoidance of over dose.
- Above all the doctor will be able to ascertain the frequency of illnesses faced by the child and the period during which he was sick and time taken for recovery. A full record of the diagnostic tests is very helpful to ascertain by the doctor about existence of diabetes or chronic deficiencies in blood or other tests.
- Particulars of earlier hospitalization and surgeries conducted on the child should also form part of the record.
In addition to the maintenance of proper record it is very essential that it should be kept handy and known to all members of the family. It should not be kept that safe that it is not traced at the time of need. Preferably a copy of the record should be kept on the top of the fridge and another copy in the car generally used by the family for traveling. A digital copy should be prepared and uploaded on the net by sending an e-mail to self. This mail can be retrieved at any time and at any place and attachment got printed if physical record is not handy any time. This mail could also be forwarded to the doctor to open the record on his computer.
Whenever you take your child to the doctor remember to carry this record with you and insist upon its updating. This will go a long way in the life of the child.