What do a 6-month-old boy, 21-year-old woman, 40-year-old woman and 65-year-old man have in common?
If they want to maintain their best health, they should all see their doctor regularly for a wellness exam. And so should every age in between, younger and older.
Measures taken there, from immunizations to cancer screenings, might save their life.
While many may have put off their routine exams because of the coronavirus pandemic, now is a perfect time to schedule them.2022世界杯巴西阵容clinics have implemented new safety measures for the health of patients and employees. And in Fargo, North Dakota, patients now can take advantage of extended appointment hours into the evenings and weekends.
Andrew Burgard, M.D., a family practice physician, shares some key points about wellness exams.
What is a wellness exam?
Obviously, a 6-month-old boy will have a different experience in an exam than a 40-year-old woman. “But primarily, the focus is going to be addressing the health maintenance and preventative tests or lab work that you may need based on those metrics,” Dr. Burgard said.
That might involvecancer screeningrecommended for certain ages, orlab workto check cholesterol levels, or blood pressure or weight evaluations. “Then, on top of that, it will be reviewing what risk factors you may have and what things need to be treated or addressed more specific to each person,” he said.
Why is a wellness exam important?
The wellness exam offers the chance to detect conditions such as cancer or heart disease early. That could potentially save your life and also present simpler treatment options than a more advanced case would.
A key component of the wellness exam is establishing a relationship with ahealth care provideryou trust, Dr. Burgard said. With a more complete picture of you, your background and your family history, the provider can offer care personalized to you, letting you craft a wellness plan together.
“Sometimes, the family history will be really a key component to what screening tests they’re due for,” Dr. Burgard said. “It may change the age at which we would recommend a certain screening test.”
Once you’ve found a provider you trust, you can comfortably ask them questions about concerns you have — not just in person during the wellness exam, but anytime through卡塔尔世界杯预选赛比分messages.
What about vaccinations?
The well child visits for infants and children follow a recommendedimmunizationschedule. However, vaccination rates have fallen during the pandemic. Don’t worry if your child has fallen behind, though, Dr. Burgard said. Providers have backup strategies to help kids catch up again, even if they’ve missed a couple of appointments.
“你可能只需要去一次就能赶上进度，”他说。
The important thing: Get back on track. If the population of kids immunized for communicable diseases drops too much, it could put people unable to get immunized at risk if an outbreak occurs. “Their well-being and their health is dependent upon our entire community being vaccinated,” Dr. Burgard said.
Vaccinations aren’t just for children, though. All ages benefit from the annualflu shot, a shingles vaccine can help those 50 and older, and those 65 and older can get a pneumonia vaccination. “You may qualify for some of those vaccines based on other health conditions, so again it comes back to that individualized care,” Dr. Burgard said.
Why should I schedule a wellness exam now?
The extended hours for appointments makes this an excellent time to catch up on delayed care, Dr. Burgard said. “You may find that it’s a little easier and a little less of a wait than you may have been accustomed to in the past.”
And summer is a convenient time to schedulewell child visits为学龄的孩子。他们也可以在同一时间完成体育锻炼。
What are some examples of clinic safety measures?
Patients who come into the clinic get asked questions to screen for COVID-19. If they’ve had the potential for an increased risk of exposure or symptoms, they immediately get taken to a room, away from others.
Waiting room furniture has been spaced apart so people won’t sit closer than 6 feet to other patients.
Health care staff get screened for fevers and wear masks and other appropriate protective equipment. Patients also wear masks.
“我觉得来这里的诊所是社区里最安全的地方，”伯加德博士说。“我非常有信心，我们可以在这里的诊所里安全地治疗病人。”
Making an appointment
To book your appointment, visitsanfordhealth.org, schedule through卡塔尔世界杯预选赛比分, or in Fargo, call one of the following phone numbers:
Family Medicine:(701) 234-8830
Internal Medicine:(701) 234-8820
Children’s:(701) 234-3620
Women’s:(701) 234-8880
Eye Care:(701) 234-3640
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Posted InChildren's,Coronavirus,Family Medicine,Fargo,Flu,Healthy Living,Immunizations,News,Parenting
