When should you call out the doctor?

When should you call out a doctor?

If you are unable to get down to your doctor's surgery, and you are worried about your child's medical condition, then you should phone your GP and ask to speak to him. Don't agressively demand a house call, but explain to the receptionist or the doctor the symptoms that your child has, and why you are concerned. Although the receptionist may take the details of your call, the decision as to whether your child receives a house call does not rest with the receptionist but with the doctor. It is the GP's ultimate responsibilty to decide as to who should receive a house call, not his receptionist's.

Explain exactly what is wrong with your child, so that your doctor can decide whether your child is well enough to be brought down to the surgery. Your doctor will base his judgement on the details that you give him, and if he feels that bringing the child down to the surgery would not be detrimental, then you must trust the decision that he has made, based on the information that you have given him.

Generally, most GPs will respond to a parents request for a home visit to see a sick child, and a parent who states that their child is too ill to be brought down to the surgery must be given the benefit of the doubt. Injuries and accidents that result in obvious physical damage must be dealt with some urgency, either through speaking directly to the doctor or calling an ambulance on 999, if it is an emergancy.

To help me help my doctor, please tell me how a GP's day is planned.

A GP's day is usually a very busy one. The day may start with a morning surgery, lasting 1 to 2 hours, with patients being seen every 5 to 10 minutes. Following the surgery, your GP may then do his paperwork, such as referring patients to hospital out patient clinics and writing out prescriptions. Then he will have to do his house calls. In order to help him plan his tight schedule, it helps if house calls can be requested before 10am. Remember that some of those home visits will result in patients having to be admitted to hospital, and there may be no beds available in the nearest one. Such frustrations added to mountains of paperwork, nights on call and weekends on call can become very demanding.

Remember, we're all human. We all have good days and bad days, and a demand for a home visit to see `little Jimmy' who only has a runny nose and is found to be playing in the street when the doctor arrives, can be rather exasperating!

When should I ask for a house visit?

A `Yes' answer to any of the following will indicate that your child is not well, and you should, therefore, ask your GP if a house visit is indicated.

Is your child:

Feverish.

Crying excessively.

Drowsy or not interested in his surroundings.

Not feeding or eating normally.

Vomiting or has diarrhoea.

Suffering more obvious signs of an illness, such as a skin rash, a cough, swollen neck glands etc.

Finally, if your child does not appear to be his normal self, or if you are worried in any way about his health, do not hesitate to ring your doctor and ask to speak to him. Your doctor will then assess the urgency of your call and respond accordingly.

IMPORTANT NOTICE : This content is from the Dr Chris Steele personal archive and is provided for convenience only. Information contained here may no longer agree with the most up to date medical advice. Please check with a medical professional before taking any action.

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