Kamel
Consultant Pediatrician, Algeria

Address for Correspondence: Dr Kamel, 45 rue de la Concorde, El mouradia, Algiers, Algeria 16075. Email: kamel_ogbi@yahoo.fr

During a long time at the university, we have learned that we had to leave the oral examination at the end of the consultation because it's a little bit traumatic. However are we really allowed to shock children even if it is at the end of the medical advice- When I see some doctors turn their back on some children during the consultation.... When I see some careless doctors consulting the private's of a child without explaining the interest of it, it makes me upset. So, I think that there is a missing link in our education. For these reasons and others, there are some horrified children. When I bump into someone a thought occurs to me, especially about an experience which may cause psychological damage to those children.

In many countries we ask parents to hold their child when we give them an injection. Very few psychologists work at pediatrics- service in order to ease patient's mind, in order to comfort patients in case they feel unhappy or lonely in the strange surroundings of hospital. Even though many doctors know that a child can't be limited in one physical subject, do we spend enough time to examine children- Do we work seriously to reduce the levels of noise in the care unit- It must be borne in mind that the traumatic memory is a reality. A pediatrician must not speak feelingly, we have to hide some feelings from the infant, because he has a sensorial comprehension, a sensorial understanding. We must repeat to young parents that a child needs to be watched growing......a child needs to be blessed...a child needs to be held. At last, I think that we have to change our mind each time it is necessary otherwise we won't improve our pediatrics- knowledge.

Last updated: 1-09-2004 Vol 1 Issue 6 Art # 23

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