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Docs Skimp on Kids' Health Care: Study
Pediatricians provide standard preventive care less than half time
By Peter Fearon
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Posted Oct 11, 07 3:26 AM CDT
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(Newser)
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American children are not getting adequate preventive care during most visits to their pediatrician, a new study has found. Doctors skip basic screening tests, weight and measurement checks and some standard care for conditions such as asthma, according to the findings in the New England Journal of Medicine. Children in the study, nearly all of them insured, received only 41% of recommended preventive care.
Children with severe medical problems, however, received 68% of recommended care. Experts say it's up to parents to make certain their children receive proper attention during doctor visits. "Arm yourself with as much information as you can," one physician warned parents. "We are human and there are things we forget to do."