What To Do Instead of New Year's Resolutions

Once again it is that time of year for New Year's resolutions.  Quite frankly I wouldn't make one.  Large or vague goals are hard to keep and tend not to last long. Then you get discouraged and give up.

So, why am I blogging about this?  Every day I advise families about healthy habits that they need to adopt for a healthy child.  Unfortunately I have to give a lot of advice all at once since I may only see your child once a year.  Do I really expect you to make all those changes at once? No, I am in fact delighted when I see a patient who tells me that they have been able to make a small change and stick with it.

Instead of New Year's resolutions I would recommend making small goals throughout the year.  Once one thing is accomplished then move on to something else.  For example instead of the goal of eating healthy tackle one step at a time.  Some examples of goals to make instead would be to eat at home one meal a week more or eat one extra serving of fruits/veggies a day or replace 1 can of soda with a cup of water instead. 

It takes 30 days for a new behavior to become a habit.  If you can incorporate the change into your existing routine it will be easier.  Also if everyone at home can make the same change there will be less arguments.  ("Why does Dad get to drink soda and I don't?")  And if you tell others about your goals or have them join you then you will feel accountable and are more likely to stick to them.

Feel free to ask me what my current goal is that I am working on when you are in the office.  Also, share with me your recent successes.  We love to hear about them!

Top Things Dr. Krieg Says

I enjoy reading Seattle Mama Doc's blog and last week she posted the Top 5 thing she says. http://seattlemamadoc.seattlechildrens.org/5-things-i-say-in-clinic/   I loved the blog and often say a variation of these same things.  But I got to thinking, what are some of the things that I say all the time. So here's my list:

1.  "Let me wash my hands and then I will sit down and talk to you."  Handwashing (and using sanitizer) is how I keep healthy.  Of course I also don't want to give any germs from one patient to another either!

2. "I can't believe how old you are!"  and "It seems like yesterday you were a little baby!"  I absolutely love watching my patients grow up but I don't know how they can be getting older because I certainly am not!

3."That's a good question."  I love it when my patients and parents ask me questions.  It helps remind me what issues are important to them as well as making sure I have addresssed all their concerns.

4. "Remind me..."  I'm getting old and thus forgetful. I find that I tell patients that I will get them something like a dentist's number or a note and then promptly forget.  Never fear I do remember, it is just 5 patients later or in the middle of the night!  So, don't be shy about reminding me!

5. "Keep up the good work!"  This is my favorite saying because I absolutely love it when my parents are offering healthy foods, encouraging their kids to exercise, taking them to the dentist, etc.  It makes my patients healthier and makes my job easier.

Medical Home

The current buzzword in medicine is medical home so I thought I'd take a few minutes to discuss what it is and why it is important.  Quite simply the medical home is our office. We synthesize and coordinate all your child's health information and care.  This is not new. This is what we have been doing for years. It is just getting attention now as a way to improve care and decrease costs. 

So, why is this important?  In medicine a lot of what we do is based on information and the more complete and accurate the information the better.  It can better direct our care so that we order appropriate medications and tests.  For example, a child that has had two recent ear infections is in my office with another one.  If I know what dates the previous ear infections were and what antibiotics he was on I can better choose the treatment for this ear infection decreasing the likelihood of a return trip to my office.

How can you help foster the medical home?  First of all, call us and come to see us when your child has a problem.  That way all your child's records and information is in one place.  Second, if your child is seen at an urgent care, ER, or specialist make sure they have our office information and send us a record of your child's visit. It doesn't happen automatically.  Third, follow up with our office when recommended by these providers.   Last, visit us yearly for your child's well child check.  At that time we can review any issues over the past year and we can make sure we are on track for good health for the coming year.

So, this is where Dr. Krieg gets up on her soapbox...  As many of you know I do not like urgent care. I see an over prescription of medication which leads to an increase in cost and side effects.  Also, many times a follow up is needed which leads to an extra doctor visit and cost for you.  Because we have a relationship with you and know your child we do not prescribe as many medications and we have the ability to follow up by phone in many cases.

And that summarizes the medical home.  Welcome to our Home!