Kiddipedia

Kiddipedia

Many parents are guilty of being an armchair doctor at some point in their child’s life and who can blame them? While raising children can bring incomparable joy, it can also be overwhelming, especially when a child becomes ill.

When it comes to a child’s health, parents are often left struggling to get answers when faced with an unexpected or life-changing diagnosis. For most parents, illness will be the occasional high fever, ear infection or cold and flu. However, for a small percentage, it can mean severe gastroenterological conditions, neurological issues or even a cancer diagnosis. Parents feeling any “medical uncertainty” will find themselves asking questions like:

“Where do I turn if I can’t confirm my child’s diagnosis?”
“How do I get a second opinion?”
“How do I find the best specialist for my child’s condition?”
“How do I make sure my child is getting the best possible care?”

The healthcare system can be a complex one to navigate. The answers cannot always be found in a standard GP appointment – even if you have an excellent GP relationship. A GP can’t be an expert on all things. Waiting times for an office visit for a second opinion with a specialist can extend weeks or even months. So where should parents turn when their child receives a confusing diagnosis?

Virtual expert medical services are available and are helping parents across Australia receive medical advice from world-class specialists. What does that mean? It goes well beyond online-searches and symptom checking. Virtual services – such as Best Doctors – provide members with in-depth case review following an initial diagnosis.  From an expert database of doctors across many specialties, the expert with the best experience for your child’s case is selected, and then provided with the full case history, including test results, for review. The focus is first on making sure that the right diagnosis has been provided, and after that, the best course of treatment has been prescribed.

A recent study by the Medical Journal of Australia revealed that after gathering information from the internet, 39% of people were left feeling worried or anxious. This is why using proven and trusted virtual health services like Best Doctors can reduce the burden of uncertainty that patients are feeling and ensure they get the best possible medical advice.

Chief Medical Officer at Best Doctors, Dr Lewis Levy, believes that digital health can make a positive difference to parents and patients’ lives, as long as people know where to look.

“Parents should seek out established virtual healthcare services that provide the right diagnosis and right course of treatment. Best Doctors provides these services through leveraging the best minds in medicine on every case,” notes Dr Levy, who has more than 30 years of clinical experience as an internist at Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates in Boston, and an extensive teaching career at Harvard Medical School.  He believes that whether you are looking for a second opinion, an introduction to a medical expert or are just looking for reliable medical information and advice, “Best Doctors can be incredibly beneficial to worried and busy parents. Most importantly, it can contribute to better health outcomes; to life-saving decisions by providing families with critical information that could have otherwise been unattainable.”

Here’s how it works: When a covered member is facing medical uncertainty – such as a diagnosis of cancer, a genetic disorder or even unexplained symptoms, they reach out, and immediately a team consisting of a doctor, nurse and medical records specialist is put in motion. The team works closely with the family to ensure that all relevant medical information is collected prior to expert review. Then the magic begins. The case is assigned to one or several top world specialists to perform an in-depth review and create a detailed report to be shared with the family and treatment team.

Why is this so valuable? An eye-opening 37% of all cases reviewed by Best Doctors resulted in a changed or refined diagnosis. Furthermore, in three out of every four cases, the treatment plan is modified.

Too often parents leave their child’s GP appointment feeling overwhelmed and confused, turning to online sources to seek clarification and answers. However, internet searches can cause parents unnecessary worry as they can present a worst-case diagnosis or rely on outdated information.  Virtual telehealth services, such as Best Doctors, are able to provide Australian families with access to world-class experts that can answer questions, review results, offer second opinions and provide assurance at no extra cost.  Services like these can be utilized by new parents and caregivers to complement their existing healthcare resources.

To find out more about Best Doctors or to find out if you and your family are eligible to use this service, visit www.bestdoctors.com.au or speak to your employer or current health or life insurance provider.

 

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