PEDIATRICS: Pediatrics, a branch of medicine dedicated to comprehensive health care for children and adolescents, is one of the most noble and demanded specialties. Pediatricians are the doctors of the youngest, responsible for ensuring healthy growth and development, from birth to adolescence. ** What are the main functions of a pediatrician? The functions of a pediatrician go beyond simply treating diseases. Among his responsibilities are: * **Prevention of diseases:** Through vaccines, growth and development controls, and recommendations on healthy lifestyles. * Diagnosis:** Early identification of diseases and disorders, both physical and emotional. * Treatment:** Administration of appropriate medical and pharmacological treatments for each patient. * Education:** Guidance to parents and caregivers on issues related to child health, such as food, hygiene, safety and psychosocial development. ** Academic Preparation and Graduate Profile To become a pediatrician...
** A chronological basis for patient records ** The term “Diagnosis” encompasses determining the nature of a disease. Diagnosis must combine an adequate clinical history (personal and family history, and current illness), a complete physical examination, and complementary examinations (laboratory tests and diagnostic imaging). Some diseases such as measles and mumps are easily identified by their appearance. Other problems such as bone fractures can be suspected by their symptoms and signs, and are confirmed by X-rays. But many symptoms require a more complex diagnostic procedure. Confirmation of a gastric ulcer, for example, requires the introduction of an endoscope into the stomach. Coronary disease can be suspected by the characteristics of the pain and by electrocardiographic changes, but definitive evidence can only be obtained by coronary angiography, a technique in which a contrast substance is injected into the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart. Di...