It's no secret that the consultants for Children's Podiatry all work clinically. The clinic that Alicia, Simone and Cylie work in released a blog last week about screening appointments. The concept has also be discussed in the Journal of Foot and Ankle Research, while published some time ago, it is still very relevant. You can read the article here: https://jfootankleres.biomedcentral.com/articles/1...
Here is an excerpt and modified on why the podiatrists who work in Children's Podiatry don't advocate for short screening appointments.
'1. Short appointments don’t always work for many kids.
Some kids do fine, however many kids don’t always understand what a podiatrist does or wants to do in an assessment. A child may be shy, nervous or reluctant to walk or have their feet or legs touched. To best understand all about each child and family goals of the appointment and assess them at their best, we need time to ensure children are relaxed and comfortable with their podiatrist.
2. Screening are a brief look to see how kid’s feet look and move.
Screenings don’t always get the full impact of what is happening with feet and legs and may require additional appointments for further assessment and treatment. Full assessments should cover watching children walk, run, hop and skip, if they can. An assessment should also cover a child’s birth history, developmental history (when they achieved all their skills like crawling and walking). This should also include participation in sport or other activities and what they want to achieve with them. Lastly, an assessment should also consider a child’s participation in school, preschool or when playing with friends and if their foot or leg concerns are impacting on this.
3. You can’t have assessment without education and treatment.
Screenings often don’t cover this education and treatment, this is usually provided if needed in an additional appointment. But even for those who don’t need any treatment, it is essential to understand what is important to the family and child and ensure that whatever treatment options are or aren't considered, that the family fully understands these. Good practice is sending families home with personalized information from their visit so they can remember what was discussed so they can share it with the rest of the family. If the child does need treatment, working together to make sure everyone has a good understanding of why, and tailor that treatment to what is right for their activities, for their sport and any footwear they prefer to wear.
Read the original blog by clicking here:
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