The Importance of Preventive Care

Preventive care is an excellent way to help your child enjoy better health. A key component of preventive care is scheduling annual well-visits with your child’s pediatrician. Well-visits allow the doctor to identify potential health concerns early on so they can be addressed right away before leading to additional issues. Dr. Farnoush Jamali, the friendly and skilled pediatrician at Prime Pediatrics in Gaithersburg, MD, provides preventive care to help your child remain healthy.

Well-Visits

An important component of preventive care is a well-visit. Scheduling regular well visits enable the doctor to monitor your child’s health and development to ensure everything is on track. Well-visits are also a time to identify potential health or developmental concerns. If there are any, the pediatrician can make specific recommendations tailored to your child’s individual needs.

A well-visit typically consists of a physical exam, as well as a review of your child’s personal and family medical histories. The medical history review can include discussing such things as allergies, medications, and family history of certain diseases, such as diabetes. Some of the things that are checked during the physical exam portion of a well-visit include:

• Height
• Weight
• Blood pressure
• Heart rate/pulse
• Lungs/breathing
• Ears, nose, throat
• Vision and hearing
• Reflexes
• Balance

Newborns and infants can benefit from a well-visit every few weeks or months, depending on their age. Older children should see the doctor for a well-visit once a year. The experienced pediatrician at our office in Gaithersburg, MD, can advise you as to how often your child should come in for a well-visit.

Immunizations

Another aspect of preventive care is providing vaccinations to immunize children against various illnesses and diseases. Vaccines help children’s bodies build up immunity to specific diseases, which protects them from contracting these conditions. For example, the annual influenza vaccine helps prevent vaccinated children from coming down with the flu. The doctor can discuss the immunization schedule with you and help ensure your child is up to date with their vaccines.

Preventive care that includes annual well-visits can play a significant role in helping your child maintain better health. To schedule a well-visit for your child with Dr. Jamali, our experienced pediatrician, call Prime Pediatrics in Gaithersburg, MD, at (301) 977-2440.