ORLANDO – There are a few simple things you can do when you have a pediatric dermatology patient to create a better office experience for the little ones, their parents, and yourself. To start, greet the child first and by name, advises Dr. Lawrence A. Schachner, a pediatric dermatologist and professor at the University of Miami.
Some of his other top tips:
• Don’t block the door.
• Make small talk to bond with them. For instance, tell them that you like their shoes, or ask them what they do for fun. (This can also be a significant indicator for depression, Dr. Schachner said.)
• Try to shake hands with your pinky and their hand, or what Dr. Schachner calls, "the Schachner Shake." This trick also lets you examine the child’s extremities, he said.
• To examine their abdomen and back, ask them if they’ve "brought their belly button with them or left it home," said Dr. Schachner, during a presentation at the annual meeting of the Florida Society of Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery.
• Have fun with some of the tools you need to use. For instance, use the Wood’s lamp to make the parent blue. And if you have to use liquid nitrogen, don’t come at the child with a canister, Dr. Schachner advised.
• Speak kid: Instead of topical anesthesia, use a term like "magic cream." Instead of punch biopsy, say "cookie cutter."
• And use little distractions – what Dr. Schachner calls distraction anesthesia – when you need to use needles or perform a surgical procedure. For injections, pinch the skin and inject the tented area. Or use a shot blocker, like the Buzzy, for intralesional injections, he advised.
• And finally, don’t forget to smile!
Check out our interview for more of Dr. Schachner’s tips on distraction anesthesia, and other pediatric pearls.
Dr. Schachner is an investigator for several companies, including Astellas, Ferndale Labs, and Novartis. He’s a consultant for Beiersdorf, Lexington, and TopMD.
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