Anna Mendenhall, MD, FAAP

Smart phones, iPads and internet connections almost everywhere we go have changed the ways we live and work.  They have also changed the way we seek out medical information.

It is important to consult your physician and not rely on the internet to make health care decisions!

• Your pediatrician has years of training and experience in examining and diagnosing illness.
• Many diseases can appear differently depending on the stage of illness, age of patient and ethnic background of the patient.
• Many diagnoses are made by taking a good history (knowing what questions to ask) and a website cannot do that.
• It is not wise to use the internet to self-diagnose.  Parents are often worried about a rare disease that their child doesn’t have and get very upset worrying about this remote possibility.

What parents CAN use on the internet for pediatric health information:

• The internet is full of good information once a diagnosis is made.
• Finding out guidelines for immunizations.
• Common side effects for a medication.
• Learning about public health issues and how they can affect your family (whooping cough, influenza, etc.).

It is important to use reputable websites for your health information such as:

• www.healthychildren.org
• www.aap.org
• www.cdc.gov

There are many sites that are not posting correct or accurate information.  The misinformation that gets perpetuated is concerning.  Also, many times there is no publication date and medical information has changed since it was posted (perhaps 10 years ago…)!

CPMG’s Facebook, YouTube and blog provide reliable pediatric health information (nearly 100 videos and/or health topic pages).

Your doctor may have a website of their own, check with them.  Also, at our CPCMG offices, you can sign up for online access to your children’s medical chart, allowing you to print vaccination records, check their growth curves, message the office and set up appointments!