SEATTLE - A new nationwide study finds doctors drop the ball and miss things more than 50 percent of the time when their patients are children.

The lead investigator is from Seattle, and even she was shocked at how many doctors are letting children's health care fall through the cracks.

So we wanted you to know what the doctor should be doing, when you take a child in for a regular visit.

"How can we possibly detect a child at risk, if we're not even checking their weight?" wonders Dr. Rita Mangione-Smith. She says pediatricians must take more time and do a better job when kids come in for regular checkups -- and especially when they come in sick.

In reviewing the records of more than 1,500 children across the country, researchers found inadequate medications, inadequate exams and failure to do recommended lab work on children of all ages.

Based on the investigation, here are three things pediatricians should always do that many are not:

They should always check weight. Children between 3 and 6 years old should be weighed and measured during every regular visit, and their weight and height should be kept in a chart.

Kids with persistent asthma symptoms should get anti-inflammatory medication. That doesn't always happen.

And every child should be tested for anemia by the time they're one year old. That doesn't always happen either.

"What we found was, children only receive 46% of the care that they should be, when they go to the doctor," Mangione-Smith said.

She recommends parents and guardians go to American Academy of Pediatrics Web site for resources that tell you exactly what doctors should be doing for kids of every age.

She specifically recommends the Well Child Pediatric Guides and a book called Bright Futures Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children and Adolescents.

Whether the patient is your child or yourself, knowing what to expect from the doctor and being prepared with questions and concerns can greatly improve your chances of getting the best quality of health care possible.

Recommended books:
Bright Futures: Guidelines for Health Supervision of Infants, Children, and Adolescents- Third Edition

Well-Child Pediatric Visits (various guides with tips based on age)


For more information:

www.aap.org

www.kidshealth.org

www.cnn.com

Published abstract of what doctors should be doing based on child’s age and symptoms -- content.nejm.org