Tips for Talking with Your Child's Doctor
An important part of good health
care is a good relationship between you and your child's doctor. You must be able to
communicate well with each other so your child's needs are met.
At Dana-Farber, doctors from
different specialties, as well as experts in nutrition and other supportive
services, may be involved in your child's care. However, it's a good idea for one
doctor to be your main source of information.
Ask yourself, "How much do I
want to know?"
Don’t be afraid to tell your
doctor how much, or how little, information you want. You might be an
“information junkie” who wants all the facts. Or you may prefer a general
overview with simple directions – what pill to give your child, what treatment he or she will
have, and when treatment will be done.
Asking questions
Here are some basic questions
your doctor can answer for you:
- What's
wrong with my child?
- What
treatment do you recommend?
- Are
there other treatments?
- What
are the benefits of these treatments?
- What
are the risks?
- What
medicines are you giving my child? What are they for?
- How
should my child expect to feel during treatment?
- What
side effects, if any, can my child expect to have?
- What long term effects, if any, can my child expect to have?
Here are some additional
questions you may want to ask:
- Who
else receives information about my child? Are my records shared?
- Will
the disease or the treatment keep my from going to school?
- Will my child have any physical limitations?
If
your child has persistent low or hopeless feelings, mention this to your doctor. Your child
may need help for clinical depression, a treatable illness that can occur along
with cancer.