The heading of this article refers to a question that someone might ask at an ante-natal clinic or in a maternity ward. Perhaps a nurse or attending physician may have mentioned they should expect a visit from this type of healthcare specialist, leaving them curious. Like many medical terms, it is derived from Greek; in this case, the term is derived by the fusion of two words, "paedia", meaning "child", and "iatros", meaning "healer" or "doctor". So, if someone should ask you, "What is a pediatrician?" you can now answer authoritatively and explain that it is a physician or surgeon who specialises in treating children.
A limited form of the medical discipline we know today as paediatrics has been practised for millennia. However, it was only in 1850 that this term was introduced in its German form, "pädiatrik", and in the mid-19th century, in the anglicised version "paediatric" by an American physician named Abraham Jacobi. The latter is widely considered to be the founder of the modern discipline, having delivered the first lectures on childhood diseases in 1860.
When attempting to answer a question like "What is a pediatrician?" the most informative approach is to discuss the daily tasks and responsibilities undertaken by these specialised medical professionals. However, to fully understand the pediatrician's role, we must first expand on the meaning of "child" in this context. In practice, paediatric medicine focuses on the healthcare requirements of children from infancy to adolescence. Furthermore, it is not a single discipline but one that consists of numerous subspecialties, including the following:
Neonatology: This time, the origin is Latin, a joining of the words "neo" and "natus", meaning "new"" and "born", respectively. Pediatricians in this category focus on the care of newborns, especially in cases of premature birth or where an infant experiences complications resulting from his/her birth. The latter could include respiratory distress following mucus inhalation or jaundice due to rhesus blood type incompatibility between the mother and newborn child.
Oncology: Sadly, malignancies are not confined to adults. Cases of childhood cancers like brain tumours and leukaemia are all too frequent and require the attention of a paediatric specialist. For example, a child diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia will undergo an appropriate treatment regimen as prescribed by a team of radiologists and physicians under the leadership of a paediatric oncologist.
Cardiology: A child may be born with a heart defect, such as a faulty valve or a malformation of the blood vessels that transport blood to and from the heart. Some minor defects may pose no threat and require no attention. However, a newborn with a congenital problem like a ventricular septal defect (VSD) will need open heart surgery and the specialised skills of an experienced paediatric cardiologist.
Neurology: The womb is a protective incubator that provides all the requirements for transforming a fertilised egg into a foetus and later into a full-term newborn. However, sometimes the process can be affected by factors like a lack of oxygen, bleeding, or infection, resulting in abnormal brain development that can give rise to conditions like epilepsy or cerebral palsy. The responsibility for managing these conditions in infancy and early childhood is the purview of a paediatric neurologist.
Pulmonology: The focus of this sub-specialism is on the diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the lungs and airways in children. These include chronic respiratory disorders like asthma and cystic fibrosis, a genetic disorder that causes a build-up of mucus in the lungs and interferes with breathing. The role of a paediatric pulmonologist includes monitoring lung health, managing mucus clearance, and treating infections like pneumonia and sleep-related disorders like obstructive sleep apnoea.
Rheumatology: While rheumatism is a condition we tend to associate with ageing, several types of musculoskeletal, arthritic, and connective tissue disorders can occur in children. These include juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which can affect multiple joints, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease that affects the joints, blood, kidneys, and skin, and juvenile scleroderma, in which the skin becomes tight and hardened. These conditions can be challenging to diagnose and manage and require a paediatric rheumatologist's specialised knowledge, skills, and experience.
Developmental and Behavioural Paediatrics: This sub-speciality would not have been cited if one had posed the question, "What is a pediatrician?" sixty years ago. Although the symptoms of autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) had been observed for years, they were not formally recognised as bona fide medical conditions until the 1970s and 1980s, respectively.
Today, however, there is an entire branch of paediatrics devoted to the assessment and management of children on the autism scale or with symptoms of ADHD. Developmental and behavioural pediatricians provide affected children with medication and other forms of intervention as indicated and offer guidance and advice to their parents.
Meeting the healthcare needs of newborn babies and young children calls for more than specialised medical or surgical knowledge. In addition, every Pediatrician must deal with numerous challenges, including the following:
Communication Barriers: Unlike adults, young children rarely understand why they feel ill and often cannot clearly articulate their symptoms, such as whether their pain is dull or sharp and whether it is continuous or intermittent. Consequently, a pediatrician must rely more on the child's body language and input from the parents.
Sensitivity: Parents are often anxious and fearful when their children are ill, so pediatricians must display empathy and support them.
Ethical Concerns: Paediatric specialists must often weigh the need for invasive treatments like cardiac or brain surgery and their patient's best interests against the legal and moral requirement for parental consent.
At Intercare, every pediatrician we employ is experienced, fully accredited by the relevant medical board, and an acknowledged expert in their chosen field. In answer to the question, "What is a pediatrician?" at Intercare, they are devoted advocates of child health and wellbeing, not just doctors who choose to treat children. They will partner with your family to provide state-of-the-art medical and surgical interventions throughout each stage of your children's growth, from birth to adolescence and, where necessary, beyond.
Intercare's pediatricians strive continuously to ensure South Africa's sick children recover and thrive. They offer our members a broad range of specialised paediatric services from a nationwide network of world-class healthcare facilities. These include hospitals and multidisciplinary clinics that also provide services like dentistry, radiography, lab tests, and physiotherapy. These clinics are where a routine appointment with one of our general practitioners often leads to a timely referral to a specialist like a haematologist, cardiologist, gynaecologist, or pediatrician.
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