Advice for Children From Boston
Children’s Hospital
Since we’re in the midst of flu and cold season, I wanted
to alert you to a helpful resource on the recently re-launched
Children’s Hospital Boston Web site—the “My
Child Has” search feature, which offers an encyclopedic
database of information on childhood illnesses and conditions,
tips on preventive care, as well as explanations of treatments,
procedures, and diagnostic tests, with links from each entry
to the appropriate clinical departments and programs within
the hospital.
Entries assist parents and caregivers—no matter where
they live—in understanding such complex conditions as
anorexia nervosa, hypoplastic left heart syndrome, spina bifida,
short bowel syndrome, and brain tumors, as well as many others.
Information on more common ailments and preventive measures
is also included—from the common cold to influenza, splinters
to burns, animal bites and scratches to acne, allergies and
avoiding asthma triggers to infant nutrition, grief and bereavement
to stuttering, growth rates to how to tell the difference between
a minor problem vs. a true emergency, and much, much more.
http://www.childrenshospital.org/mychildhas.
Additional resources are available
on Children’s Hospital
Boston’s Web site at http://www.childrenshospital.org.
One of the more popular features is “Arthur’s Guide
to Children’s Hospital Boston,” available in both
Spanish and English. This guide was created to answer questions
children may have about going to the hospital and to help prepare
the entire family for the visit. Designed to look and read
like a school report by Arthur and his friends, the guide describes
hospital experiences in simple terms, and covers in detail
three types of visits: doctor’s visits, pre-operative
visits, and hospital stays. Another frequently visited area
is the “Experience Journal” where young patients
and their families have shared their personal medical experiences.
Parents can also request an appointment online. The site includes
general information about the hospital, as well as a rich variety
of resources about each department and specialty.#
