Hot Topics in Pediatrics | Nemours Children's Health CE (2024)

FAQs

What does paediatric mean? ›

Pediatrics is the branch of medicine dealing with the health and medical care of infants, children, and adolescents from birth up to the age of 18. The word “paediatrics” means “healer of children”; they are derived from two Greek words: (pais = child) and (iatros = doctor or healer).

Pediatrics is the specialty of medical science concerned with the physical, mental, and social health of children from birth to young adulthood. Pediatric care encompasses a broad spectrum of health services ranging from preventive health care to the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic diseases.

Pediatric and paediatric are both English terms. Pediatric is predominantly used in 🇺🇸 American (US) English ( en-US ) while paediatric is predominantly used in 🇬🇧 British English (used in UK/AU/NZ) ( en-GB ). In the United States, there is a preference for "pediatric" over "paediatric" (100 to 0).

/ˌpiː.di.əˈtrɪʃ. ən/ a doctor who has special training in medical care for children. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Medical studies & the people who study them.

In general, your child can be cared for by a pediatrician until about age 21. At this point, the pediatrician will likely recommend a new primary care provider, such as a family medicine or internal medicine physician.

A pediatrician is a medical doctor (MD) who treats children. They provide: Preventive health maintenance and ongoing monitoring for healthy children.

Pediatric patients are children under the age of 18. They're also known as minors, which means that, like adults, they have rights and responsibilities. In addition to these rights and responsibilities, pediatric patients require special care and accommodations because they are still growing. ‍

Although it may vary, pediatric care can last up to 15, 18, or 21 years of age. It must also be remembered that, from the age of 15, the child can request to be treated as an adult and want to see a family doctor like the other members of the family.

How old is pediatric? ›

The age range for pediatric care extends from birth to 18 or 21 years, depending on the healthcare system. Pediatric care focuses on promoting healthy growth and development, preventive care, and addressing specific health concerns unique to children.

The term “pediatrics” is derived from the two Greek words, pais meaning child and iatros meaning doctor and healer. As such it is intended to mean the healer of children.

Pediatric care emphasizes the importance of promoting healthy lifestyle habits from an early age. Education on proper nutrition, physical activity, and healthy sleep habits helps establish healthy patterns that can be carried into adulthood.

The word pediatrician has only been in use since the turn of the 20th century. Some people also use the word pediatrist to mean the same thing — a doctor who specializes in treating children ranging from newborn babies to adolescents.

How pediatric medicine differs. Pediatric patients are still developing physically, which means pediatric care specialists pay special attention to growth and developmental issues that typically don't affect adult patients.

Each one brings its own health concerns, which is why you should find a doctor specializing in pediatrics to guide you through the process. Most pediatric clinics will treat young patients until the age of 18, although people aren't considered fully grown until they turn 21.

Pediatric nursing is a specialization of the nursing profession that focuses on pediatrics and the medical care of children, from infancy to the teenage years. This is an important field because the health of children is distinct from that of adults due to the growth and development that occurs throughout childhood.