Can you test my child for everything?
Not uncommonly I’ve had parents walk into the Emergency Room and ask to see a doctor.
Upon seeing a doctor, the first thing they say is “I want you to test my child for everything.”
I bet that sounds familiar to you.
Wouldn’t that make lives easier it there was a machine you can pass through when you register to be seen by a physician. The machine would test or scan and print out your diagnosis and all we have to do as medical providers is to write a prescription and you will be on your way.
Unfortunately, despite the advancement in technology, that technology has yet to be created.
Fortunately, most providers have trained for a decent amount of time that we can have a discussion with you, obtain enough history of the symptoms your child is having and decide what systems of the body are involved and what tests if any are needed.
I know you have heard this multiple times but the commonest causes of illness in children are VIRUSES.
Hence why most physicians do not test or treat your child for anything despite your firm requests for that.
In some cases, tests and treatment might end up being done because of the persistence of the family, but that doesn’t mean its needed and may be a risk to your child so be careful what you ask for.
Let’s break it down a little more:
Do you think your child needs blood tests?
These are usually considered if there is a suspicion of an infection such as bacterial, fungal, inflammatory or cancerous problems that we need to treat.
When we suspect these, it is recommended to obtain labs limited to a symptoms or sign and not shooting in the dark. Obtaining blood work and results that would be of little value to us but has cost your child a whole of blood loss.
Some tests might have no yield or might be difficult to interpret in some setting. For example a high white blood count when your child has a fever might mean your child has an infection (bacterial or viral) but doesn’t mean you need antibiotics for that. So accurate history from you and focused exams of your child are best to help us decide
Do you think your child needs some form of imaging?
The human body has been well studied to an extent and a health professional who has been trained knows where the normal organs are, like your liver or spleen.
Unless there is a genetic abnormality or in some cases of malformations where some organs are slightly placed differently, all human organs are relatively in the same location in everyone.
So requesting an imaging of the whole body might be of little yield to you, when a provider thinks a focused imaging of particular organ is best. If in doubt, get a second opinion.
Remember, radiation has its own side effects.
That said, we will wait for the advancement in technology to provide the 360 degrees medical evaluating solution that a person will pass through and have a printed diagnosis.
But until then, providers will continue to use our expertise and knowledge to advice and treat you accurately.
And maintain our Hippocratic oath of “DO NO HARM”
