As a millennial mom, I rely heavily on technology to facilitate some things about my motherhood, especially in my mobile applications. I think it is a tool that we can take advantage of for our benefit and that of our families.
From keeping track of our advances in pregnancy or the development of our children, to looking for a quick prescription or having a record of family medical appointments, the mobile becomes a very useful support in our lives. But, How far is it right to turn to him?
On this occasion I want to talk to you about something that many mothers are starting to do and that have divided opinions about it. I speak of consult the pediatrician or family doctor through WhatsApp. Is it right to do it? To what extent can we use this tool for this situation?
The truth is that WhatsApp is a wonderful application. It allows you to communicate instantly and for free (of course, provided there is Wi-Fi or data) with friends, family or colleagues. It is very useful when you need to consult something and instead of calling, you just send a message to the other person and save the expense. But like any other technological application or tool, it must have a limit.
I am in various parenting groups on Facebook, because I write and I am interested in maternity issues, and because I am a mother and I like consulting with other real mothers the doubts that may arise on the road. Something I have read a couple of times, is to some mothers comment that they occasionally consult your children's pediatrician via WhatsApp. But is it correct to use this medium for something as serious as a medical consultation? Let's see the advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages
It can help you get a space when you can't get an appointment. Sometimes our children are very bad, their pediatrician has an agenda full the next two weeks and we do not find an appointment with any pediatrician and even if you explain to the secretaries that your child is with explosive diarrhea or does not stop vomiting, his response is a resounding "no". I understand, they must do their job and respect the agenda. But what do we do? It may not be like taking him to the emergency room but letting him suffer with his discomfort is something that hurts us.
I remember once this happened to us and I could only think of doing what I thought was necessary then: write to the pediatrician on WhatsApp commenting on the symptoms my daughter had. He saw that I had to check it, so he gave me directions to his office at a certain time and made us a space between appointments that same afternoon. But although I did, I do not recommend it because it is not something that always works. It is best to have two other pediatrician options in case ours is not available.Or, go directly to the emergency room if we believe it is necessary.It can clear some doubts. This can be something especially useful when we are new moms, since we usually run to the pediatrician's office for any discomfort of our babies. Many times we are not sure that our children require a medical review, so a good option is to tell what happens to the pediatrician and he can tell us if it is necessary that we take him to a consultation or if we give him some care at home.
Disadvantages
Risk of misdiagnosis. Although I mentioned in the advantages that consulting the pediatrician can help remove certain doubts, a "consultation" by WhatsApp is not the best nor the most recommended. It is not the same as we tell the symptoms of our children, to be checked carefully by the pediatrician. From my point of view, unless it is something like a slight fever or stroke, if we have doubts, it is best to go to a review.
The doctor may not be available. This is another possible disadvantage. Whether it is in a place where it has no connection, does not have the mobile nearby or just does not check it while working, we can not be waiting for a WhatsApp message to respond, especially if we see it as something that "urges us." In the Facebook groups I see that some mothers worry because their children are sick but they stay in a "I already marked the pediatrician" and he doesn't answer. The same applies to WhatsApp messages. If our doctor is not there, let's find another one to have our child checked.
What do doctors think?
I had this talk about WhatsApp consultations a while ago with a group of friends moms. Many of us shared our experiences and several agreed on three positions of most doctors:
- He does not like to give the mobile number
- They do not give queries by WhatsApp
- Do not prescribe medications by WhatsApp
What is this about? I guess that it is very risky to consult a child only for what is described in a message or seen in a photo. A bad diagnosis or not being able to fully see the symptoms in the child's body could have terrible consequences.
I think WhatsApp can be a good tool to get us out of some slight doubt, but the best thing will always be to go on a date face to face, because sometimes it is necessary and important for doctors to see the patient directly.
What do you think of the queries by WhatsApp? Have you ever done it?
