Dear 'lene,
We wanted to pass along this great public service piece from Say Ah!, which helps parents make their kids' back-to-school check-ups better, simpler, and safer.
We hope you will include these tips in anything you may be writing that involves back-to-school and/or children's health. Thank you!
Say Ah!’s Top 10 Back to School Health Tips
1. Get your forms in order! Have all the school, daycare, and athletic health forms you need for each child so you know which doctors to see and what paperwork you will need to have signed.
2. Call ahead to schedule the appointments. If weekdays are a problem for you, find out if the doctor is available on weekends.
3. Make a list of important information and bring it with you. This includes:
- What medicines your child is taking. Include prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, herbs, and supplements (such as protein drinks).
- Important facts about your child’s health. Include allergies, chronic illnesses, and any past surgeries, broken bones, etc.
- Questions or concerns that you - or your child - may have about his or her health.
Hint: Make three copies of this list: One for you, one for your doctor, and one to give the front desk for your child’s file updates.
4. Give your child a head’s up. You may want to prepare him or her for what will happen (or
not) at the doctor's office.
5. Check that your child’s file is correct and up to date. The lists you just made should square with what is in your child’s file. This is especially important if your child sees more than one doctor or has been to a hospital or an emergency department.
6. Communicate with your child’s doctor! Speak up when you have something to say -- you are your child’s advocate! Ask questions whenever you don’t understand something, whether it is a medical term or medication directions.
7. Take notes so you don’t forget what your doctor tells you.
8. Make sure you (and your child if s/he is old enough) understand important information such as medication directions, how to use an inhaler or other medical devices, or what to do if your child is referred to another doctor.
- Ask your doctor to repeat instructions if you don’t get them the first time.
- Check your understanding by saying, “Okay. Let me make sure I’ve got this right,” and repeat back to your doctor what s/he just said in your own words.
- If you go home and realize you have a question, contact your doctor immediately and ask for clarification.
9. Know your child’s weight and height. This is great information to have as many medications are often given by weight. NOTE: these numbers can change throughout the year, so use them only as guidelines.
10. Finally – don’t forget to get those school, daycare, and athletic forms signed!
Say Ah! co-founder and mom Helene Eisman Fisher gives these tips an A+ for helping to make the back-to-school transition easier, more organized, safer and simpler. “They are a no-brainer for gearing up for the school year and setting the tone for a successful and healthy year for you and your family,” Fisher said.
Say Ah! is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people understand health and medical information by improving communication between patients and health care providers. The organization holds health literacy workshops for patients and providers, distributes a “health care cheat sheet” for consumers and caregivers, and works with physicians to help create user-friendly informational materials. The organization's comprehensive Web site (
www.justsayah.org) is designed to help people gain the skills needed to understand and use health care safely and effectively.
We hope you will include these tips for back-to-school doctor visits with your readers. In addition, the Say Ah! founders and medical advisory board, which includes authors Dr. Sandeep Jauhar (Intern: A Doctor's Initiation) and Dr. David Newman (Hippocrates’ Shadow), are available for interviews regarding this subject as well as matters relating to improving health care communication and health literacy.
