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This article is about the branch of medicine. For the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, see Pediatrics (journal). Pediatrics is an official Peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Clinical Examination
Clinical Examination

Pediatrics (also spelled paediatrics) is the branch of medicine that deals with the medical care of infants, children, and adolescents. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the CHILD syndrome (or congenital hemidysplasia with ichthyosiform erythroderma and limb defects) is a genetic disorder The upper age limit ranges from age 14 to 21, depending on the country.

A medical practitioner who specializes in this area is known as a pediatrician (also spelled paediatrician). A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health

The word pediatrics and its cognates mean healer of children; they derive from two Greek words: παῖdh (pais = child) and ιατρός (iatros = doctor or healer). Cognates in Linguistics are words that have a common origin They may occur within a language such as shirt and skirt as two English words descended from The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c

Pediatric polysomnography patientChildren's Hospital (Saint Louis), 2006
Pediatric polysomnography patient
Children's Hospital (Saint Louis), 2006

Contents

Differences between adult and pediatric medicine

Pediatrics differs from adult medicine in many respects. See also Polysomnogram Polysomnography or PSG is a multi-parametric test used in the study of Sleep; the test result is called a A patient is any person who receives medical attention care or treatment. St Louis Children's Hospital is a pediatric hospital in St Louis Missouri, and is one of the premier children's hospitals in the United States The obvious body size differences are paralleled by maturational changes. The smaller body of an infant or neonate is substantially different physiologically from that of an adult. Congenital defects, genetic variance, and developmental issues are of greater concern to pediatricians than they often are to adult physicians.

Many inherited diseases are more often treated by pediatricians than by adult physicians because only recently did the majority of these patients survive into adulthood. A genetic disorder is a condition caused by abnormalities in Genes or Chromosomes While some diseases such as Cancer, are due to genetic abnormalities acquired Well-known example are the thalassemias, sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. Thalassemia (from Greek θαλασσα thalassa sea + αίμα haima blood British spelling "thalassaemia" is an inherited Autosomal recessive Sickle-cell disease or sickle-cell anaemia (or anemia) is a Blood disorder characterized by Red blood cells that assume an abnormal rigid Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF, mucoviscoidosis, or mucoviscidosis) is a hereditary disease affecting the exocrine (mucus glands of the lungs Issues revolving around infectious diseases and immunizations are also dealt with primarily by pediatricians.

Childhood is the period of greatest growth, development and maturation of the various organ systems in the body. Years of training and experience (above and beyond basic medical training) goes into recognizing the difference between normal variants and what is actually pathological. Pathology (from Greek grc πάθος pathos, "fate harm" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study and

Treating a child is not like treating a miniature adult. A major difference between pediatrics and adult medicine is that children are minors and, in most jurisdictions, cannot make decisions for themselves. In Law, jurisdiction (from the Latin ius iuris meaning "law" and dicere meaning "to speak" is the practical Authority The issues of guardianship, privacy, legal responsibility and informed consent must always be considered in every pediatric procedure. A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority (and the corresponding duty to care for the personal and Property interests of another person called a ward In a sense, pediatricians often have to treat the parents and sometimes, the family, rather than just the child. Adolescents are in their own legal class, having rights to their own health care decisions in certain circumstances only, though this is in legal flux and varies by region.

Training of pediatricians

The training of pediatricians varies considerably across the world.

Main articles: Medical education and Physician

Like other medical practitioners, pediatricians begin their training with an entry-level medical education: a tertiary-level course, undertaken at a medical school attached to a university. Medical education is education related to the practice of being a medical practitioner, either the initial training to become a doctor (i A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage third level and' post-secondary education', is the educational level following the completion of a school providing In US Education, a course is a unit of teaching that typically lasts one Academic term, is led by one or more instructors ( Teachers or Professors Medical education A medical school or faculty of medicine is a Tertiary educational institution—or part of such an institution—that teaches Medicine A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Such a course leads to a medical degree. Doctor of Medicine ( MD or MD, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor meaning "Teacher of Medicine" is a doctoral

Depending on jurisdiction and university, a medical degree course may be either undergraduate-entry or graduate-entry. The former commonly takes five or six years, and has been usual in the Commonwealth. Entrants to graduate-entry courses (as in the USA), usually lasting four or five years, have previously completed a three- or four-year university degree, commonly but by no means always in sciences. Medical graduates hold a degree specific to the country and university in and from which they graduated. This degree qualifies that medical practitioner to become licensed or registered under the laws of that particular country, and sometimes of several countries, subject to requirements for "internship" or "conditional registration". A medical intern is a term used for a Physician in training who has completed Medical school.

Within the United States, the term physician also describes holders of the Doctor of Osteopathic medicine (D.O.) degree. A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health However, outside the United States, osteopaths are not physicians who practice medicine. For further information on osteopathic medicine, see the entry on the comparison of MD and DO in the US. This article discusses similarities and differences between doctors of osteopathic medicine (DOs and doctors of medicine (MDs in the United States

Pediatricians must undertake further training in their chosen field. This may take from three to six or more years, depending on jurisdiction and the degree of specialization. The post-graduate training for a primary care physician, including primary care pediatricians, is generally not as lengthy as for a hospital-based medical specialist. Primary care is a term used for the activity of a Health care provider who acts as a first point of consultation for all patients A specialty in Medicine is a branch of medical science other than General practice.

In most jurisdictions, entry-level degrees are common to all branches of the medical profession, but in some jurisdictions, specialization in pediatrics may begin before completion of this degree. In some jurisdictions, pediatric training is begun immediately following completion of entry-level training. In other jurisdictions, junior medical doctors must undertake generalist (unstreamed) training for a number of years before commencing pediatric (or any other) specialization. Specialist training is often largely under the control of pediatric organizations (see below) rather than universities, with varying degrees of government input, depending on jurisdiction.

"Pediatrician" versus "Paediatrician"

There is a slight semantic difference associated with the difference in spelling. In the USA, a pediatrician (US spelling) is a specialist physician who generally functions in a primary care setting for children. A specialty in Medicine is a branch of medical science other than General practice. Like all physicians, they first receive a general medical degree (from a US medical school, typically MD or DO). A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Doctor of Medicine ( MD or MD, from the Latin Medicinæ Doctor meaning "Teacher of Medicine" is a doctoral Next, such pediatricians (US spelling) must complete an internship and then a 3-year residency in pediatrics. A medical intern is a term used for a Physician in training who has completed Medical school. Residency is a stage of graduate medical training. A resident physician or resident is a person who has received a Medical degree ( MD A similar situation exists in Germany: a kinderarzt is commonly a primary care pediatrician.

In the UK and the Commonwealth (and also in much of the rest of the world), a paediatrician (British spelling) is also a specialist physician for children, but generally not in primary care. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A specialty in Medicine is a branch of medical science other than General practice. He or she sees children who are either urgently taken to a hospital or who are referred by general practitioners; the latter see the bulk of child patients in primary care. A general practitioner, or GP is a medical practitioner who provides Primary care and specializes in Family medicine. Such paediatricians (British spelling) generally first receive a general medical degree (in the UK or Commonwealth, typically MB BS, MB BChir etc). The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, or in Latin Medicinae Baccalaureus et Baccalaureus Chirurgiae (abbreviated MB BChir, BM BCh, Afterwards (in the UK or Commonwealth), they complete at least 2 years general clinical training ("foundation training"), then 6 or more years additional training in pediatrics or its subspecialties. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located A subspecialty is narrow field within a specialty such as Forensic pathology, which is a subspecialty of Anatomical pathology. A paediatrician in this sense could fairly be described as an internist who has subspecialized in infants & children. Internal medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases

Subspecialists in pediatrics

Specialist pediatricians may undergo further training in sub-specialties. Practising a subspecialty in pediatrics is similar in some respects to practising the relevant adult specialty, but a major difference is in the pattern of disease. Typically, diseases commonly seen in children are rare in adults (eg bronchiolitis, rotavirus infection), and those seen in adults are rare in children (eg coronary artery disease, deep vein thrombosis). Bronchiolitis is inflammation of the Bronchioles the smallest air passages of the lungs Rotavirus is a Genus of Double-stranded RNA virus in the family Reoviridae. Coronary artery disease (CAD (or atherosclerotic Heart disease) is the end result of the accumulation of atheromatous plaques within the walls In Medicine, deep vein thrombosis (also known as deep-vein thrombosis or deep venous thrombosis and usually abbreviated as DVT) is the formation Hence, pediatric cardiologists deal with the heart conditions of children, particularly congenital heart defects, and pediatric oncologists most often treat types of cancer that are relatively common in children (eg certain leukemias, lymphomas and sarcomas), but which are rarely seen in adults. Cardiology (from Greek grc καρδίᾱ kardiā, "heart" and grc -λογία -logia) is the branch of Internal medicine Oncology is the branch of medicine that studies Tumors ( Cancer) and seeks to understand their development diagnosis treatment and prevention Leukemia or leukaemia (Greek leukos λευκός, "white" aima αίμα, "blood" is a Cancer of the Blood Lymphoma a type of Neoplasm that originates in Lymphocytes (a type of White blood cell in the vertebrate Immune system) A sarcoma (from the Greek 'sarx' meaning "flesh" is a Cancer of the connective or supportive tissue ( Bone, Cartilage, Fat Every subspecialty of adult medicine exists in pediatrics (with the obvious exception of geriatrics). Geriatrics is the branch of Medicine that focuses on health care of the elderly

Adolescent medicine is a growing sub-specialty. Adolescent medicine is a medical subspecialty that focuses on care of patients who are in the Adolescent period of development The pattern of diseases in adolescents in part resembles that seen in older adults, and specialists or sub-specialists in adolescent medicine are also drawn from practitioners of internal medicine or family medicine. Internal medicine is the medical specialty concerned with the diagnosis management and nonsurgical treatment of unusual or serious diseases Family medicine differs from the traditional European general practitioner Another major sub-specialty, which is unique to pediatrics, is neonatology: the medical care of newborn babies. Neonatology is a subspecialty of Pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants especially the ill or premature newborn infant

Pediatric organizations

Most pediatricians are members of a national body. Examples are the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Canadian Paediatric Society, the Royal College Of Paediatrics and Child Health, Norsk barnelegeforening (The Norwegian society of pediatricians) or the Indian Academy of Pediatrics. The American Academy of Pediatrics ( AAP) is an organization of Pediatricians physicians trained to deal with the medical care of infants children and adolescents Canadian Paediatric Society (CPS is a national association of paediatricians committed to working together to advance the health of children and youth by nurturing excellence in health care advocacy Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in London is responsible for the training of Postgraduate doctors in Paediatrics and conducting the MRCPCH The Indian Academy of Pediatrics was established in 1962 in Patna, Bihar, with less than 100 pediatricians as its members In Australia and New Zealand, paediatricians are fellows of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians, which covers both nations and which has adult & paediatric sections. The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, or RACP, is the organisation responsible for training educating and representing over 9000 physicians and Paediatricians This was the situation in the UK until the late 1990s, where specialist paediatricians were Members or Fellows of either the Royal College of Physicians or of the fraternal colleges in Scotland. The Royal College of Physicians of London was the first medical institution in England to receive a Royal Charter In 1996, British paediatricians were granted a royal charter to form their own college, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in London is responsible for the training of Postgraduate doctors in Paediatrics and conducting the MRCPCH

Social role of pediatricians

Like other physicians, pediatricians are traditionally considered to be members of a learned profession, because of the extensive training requirements, and also because of the occupation's special ethical and legal duties. The term profession is applied to those persons who have specialized and technical skill or knowledge which they apply for a fee to certain tasks that ordinary and unqualified people cannot

Pediatricians commonly enjoy high social status, often combined with expectations of a high and stable income and job security. In Sociology or Anthropology, social status is the honor or prestige attached to one's position in Society (one's Social position) Job security is the probability that an individual will keep his or her job; a job with a high level of job security is such that a person with the job would have a small chance However, medical practitioners in general often work long and inflexible hours, with shifts at unsociable times, and may earn less than other professionals whose education is of comparable length. Neonatologists or general pediatricians in hospital practice are often on call at unsociable times for perinatal problems in particular — such as for Caesarean section or other high risk births, and for the care of ill newborn infants. Neonatology is a subspecialty of Pediatrics that consists of the medical care of newborn infants especially the ill or premature newborn infant Perinatal defines the period occurring around the time of birth (5 months before and 1 month after A Caesarean section (or Cesarean section in American English) also known as C-section, is a form of Childbirth in which a surgical Childbirth (also called labour, birth, partus or parturition) is the culmination of a Human Pregnancy or

The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that general pediatricians earned an average of $141,440 in 2006.

In August 2000, a paediatrician in Wales had her home and car vandalised by "vigilantes", believing "paediatrician" meant "paedophile". A vigilante is a person who ignores Due process of law and enacts their own form of Justice in response to a perception of insufficient response by the The term pedophilia or paedophilia has a range of definitions as found in Psychology, law enforcement and the popular vernacular [1]

See also

References

  1. ^ Doctor driven out of home by vigilantes | UK news | The Guardian

Further reading

External links

Dictionary

pediatrics

-noun

  1. (medicine) The branch of medicine that deals with the treatment of children.
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