Medical Guide to a Child's Wellness Exam

Understanding the significance of a child's annual wellness exam

What is a child's annual wellness exam? If you have a child who has medical problems of any kind, as a responsible parent or adult, you would take him or her to see his or her physician or a pediatrician. You would take the child to an emergency room at a hospital for immediate medical treatment, if the situation appeared to be serious or life threatening, in any way.

A child's annual wellness exam is different because the child is scheduled for an annual visit to a doctor, even when he or she is well.

As a parent, regardless of where you live, it is your responsibility to keep you child as healthy as you possibly can. In fact, it is always in your best interest to do so. One of the ways to ensure your child's health is to make a point of taking your child to a physician, for an annual wellness exam.

While taking a well child to a physician on a yearly basis, may create an inconvenience for you or appear to be an added medical expense, depending upon the country in which you live, the majority of medical professionals will attest to the fact that annual wellness exams are important for every child. Maintaining the highest possible level of child health care is vital.

What is the purpose of a child's annual wellness exam? There are numerous reasons why a child should be scheduled to have an annual wellness exam.

Consider the following reasons for an annual wellness exam: to assess the child's general health status, to observe the child for normal growth and development patterns, to initiate and maintain effective immunization with respect to the prevention of disease; to identify or treat existing health problems; to observe the child for normal behavior patterns, to detect and treat possible nutritional or immune deficiencies, to assist a family with respect to maintaining consistent and appropriate health care for their child, as well as vision and hearing tests

When should annual wellness exams begin?

Every child must be examined by a physician on a regular basis, from the time of birth onward. Up to one year of age, most infants and small children are seen by a physician, at least once a month. After one year of age, the physician may choose to see the child approximately every three to six months, but this is something that he or she will work out with the child's parents. As the child gets older, he or she may choose to see the child on an annual basis, as long as the child appears to be healthy and is developing normally.

Annual wellness exams focus on preventative medicine, as opposed to treating children for illnesses or injuries, at the time when they occur. Sometimes, potential medical problems can be identified, averted or treated at the annual wellness exam visit to the family physician.

Any child entering a day care, pre-school or kindergarten program may be required to have an annual wellness exam, prior to admission. When a child enters school, an annual wellness exam will be a requirement. This is equivalent to having a yearly physical exam.

With a growing shortage of medical personnel in highly populated areas or n remote regions, annual wellness exams may be carried out by nurse practitioners. If medical problems are noted, the child may be referred to his or her doctor. The doctor may choose to refer the child to a pediatrician or a specialist.

Tele-health programs are increasing in numbers and child annual wellness exams can be included in these programs, if the community is alert to the reality of this possibility. Optimal health care for children leads to optimal health care for adults, too. Many potential medical problems can be avoided by education programs, conducted by medical professionals, who are seriously involved in childcare.

Re-thinking the child annual wellness health exam? Maybe you should, as your co-operation and assistance in this regard is needed. You may save the life of your own child or someone else's children by active participation. 

For example, at this time, there is serious concern about the H1N1 virus that is still spreading. How many instances of the H1N1 virus might be avoided if all children were required to have annual wellness exams? This is just food for thought.