It was just supposed to be a pleasant evening visit, but when Peter Andrew spent four hours at the home of his sister-in-law, Dr. Christine Wood, a pediatrician, the doctor received 50 phone calls from concerned parents about different minor matters in that one evening. It was impossible to carry on a conversation, Andrew thought. For the Encinitas area doctor it was just an average weekday evening, business as usual.

    The enterprising Andrew, an Internet fan and semi-retired
successful business owner and recent transplant to the area, decided there had to be a better way. Together with Dr. Wood, they conducted patient research and developed: http://CallYourPed.com as a way to help both parents of children and harried pediatricians alike. The Web site is designed to give concerned parents with non-emergency medical questions, solid, no-nonsense information that can give them information in deciding when to call the doctor and some home treatment advice.

    Doctors are excited about the new Web site which will help their
patients and make their lives a bit less hectic. Each medical practice site will include information about the doctor's practice, staff, phone numbers, and other personal information they want to share. In tracking use of this Web site, there was an average of 1460 hits per day after it's initial announcement in one office.

    When parents log on they will have access to an extensive
Web site resource guide which is filled with useful, general information regarding childhood illnesses, including: symptoms, diagnosis, photographs, home treatments and guidelines on when parents should call the doctor immediately and what can wait until office hours. The site will also include regular updates on the most current medical information.

    "This information will never be a substitute for a physician's
professional observation and advice," says Andrew. "But it will help to comfort parents regarding simple medical issues when a child has a cold or other non-emergency condition."

    "We spoke to a lot of parents of children before moving forward.
For parents already on the Internet on their home computers, 92
percent said they would use the service first rather than call the doctor with a minor concern." Andrew adds, "We were pleased to see parents open to receiving medical information via the World Wide Web and so we decided to move forward."

    A virtual business was born. Andrew worked diligently with
pediatrician Dr. Christine Wood to provide comprehensive and useful
information on the site that will truly be of value to parents. He
expects pediatricians who utilize the service for their patients will
enjoy a bit of  relief from the nightly onslaught of calls
regarding minor medical matters.

    Of course an attending physician should always be sought when a medical matter goes beyond the scope of simple home treatments.

Some of the tidbits of information on colds:

• Colds are caused by viruses, and antibiotics do not cure viruses.
• Transmission is by hand-to-hand contact, sneezing, coughing and they can persist on surfaces of objects for many hours. The virus is shed from the nasal discharge.
• People are contagious a day or two before the onset of symptoms and for an average of  7 to 10 days. As the cold progresses, contagiousness gradually decreases. Shedding of the virus from nasal discharge may last as long as 2 or 3 weeks. The incubation (time from exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms) is less than a week.
• Colds are not caused by cold air, drafts, or swimming.
• Most children get about six to ten colds per year. The frequency is higher if the child is in daycare, has siblings in school or is around a lot of other children.
• Most colds last 7 to 10 days. Fevers usually lasts less than 3 or 4 days. The cough is usually the last symptom to go away (sometimes up to 2 weeks).
  
  Ask your child's doctor to discover if he or she is part of
  http://CallYourPed.com.   Physicians  who are interested in having a medical practice home site and connecting to CallYourPediatrician can get more information by calling:        1-888-451-2838

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