Pulmonary and Allergy Clinic (Pediatrics): Information for Parents

Visits to the Pulmonary and Allergy Clinic

What can I expect during my child’s first visit?

All first-time visitors to the pediatric Pulmonary and Allergy Clinic will receive the following:

• Introduction to clinic staff and routines
• Complete check-up
• Breathing tests, if relevant to the child’s condition
• New treatment plan that meets patient’s and family’s needs
• Education and training for patient and family to carry out treatment plan
• Regular and timely communication with the referring clinician concerning all aspects of the patient’s evaluation and treatment

Depending on your child’s symptoms, test results and/or diagnosis, you may also receive:

• Asthma control tips
• Immunologic evaluation
• Pulmonary Function Test (PFT)
• Chest X-ray
• Sleep apnea test referral

What can I expect during follow-up visits?

• Reviewing home peak flow
• Further testing such as: breathing, allergy, skin, blood, antibiotic, food, and sting allergy
• Learning to control your asthma aggravators
• Improving the treatment plan
• Regular and timely communication with the referring clinician concerning all aspects of the patient’s evaluation and treatment

Tips for Keeping an Asthmatic Child Well

• Have regular, preventative check-ups with your pediatrician, even when your child is well.
• Keep a stock of medicine on-hand and have medicine available (especially quick-relief medicine) at every place your child spends time: home, grandparents’ house, daycare, school, and afterschool program. Never run out of medicine. Call your doctor’s office for refills when you need them.
• Allow your child as much independence in managing asthma as their maturity permits. That applies to taking medications, checking peak flows, selecting activities, and avoiding triggers.
• Continue to supervise your child in every aspect of asthma care—make sure medicines are taken as scheduled and correctly.
• Encourage your child to stay active, to play hard, and take part in sports. Don’t restrict your child needlessly. If asthma symptoms come with exercise, tell the doctor.
• Be honest with the doctor—ask questions, express your worries, and complaints. Tell the doctor when the asthma treatment plan is not working, inconvenient, or unacceptable to you.
• Reduce allergens and irritants at home.
• When asthma symptoms start, stay calm and follow your written treatment plan. If you don’t have written directions for treating asthma at home, ask your doctor for a written treatment plan.
• Know how to reach the doctor for advice when asthma symptoms don’t clear up right away.
• Try to keep your child from getting colds, by:
  • Getting them a flu shot every fall
  • Washing hands often during winter flu season
  • Trying to stay away from other people with colds or flu
  • When cold symptoms start, using your favorite home remedy, and telling your doctor about it