UTILIZATION OF CHILD HEALTH ASSOCIATES BY A PRACTICING PEDIATRICIAN

[摘要] In the preceding article, Drs. Silver and Ott have described the program for the new child health associate. However, the success or failure of any such program lies with its practical application. How does the child health associate perform in a clinical setting? How does he or she perform when dealing with private patients in a busy office?I am a solo pediatrician in Lamar, a community of approximately 8,000 people in southeast Colorado. My practice is probably no different from that of most pediatricians except that I am the only one within a radius of at least 125 miles. On a typical office day, I see 25 to 40 patients depending on the time of year and the particular epidemic making the rounds of the community. I also serve as consultant to the local Migrant Council Health Program set up to deliver health care during the harvest season to migrant laborers and their families. It was through the Migrant Council Health Program that I had my first contact with a child health associate.A child health associate student who had finished the first year of the course of study in Denver was sent to Lamar during the summer of 1971 to work under my supervision in delivering health care to migrant children. Initially, she spent approximately three weeks with me in my office developing greater skill in performing a physical examination and managing the more common pediatric conditions which she would be seeing in the migrant workers setting. She then took over the first-line health care at the migrant center and the day care center which was providing supervision for the children of families working in the fields.

[学科分类] 儿科学