site.btaParents Should Not Hesitate to Seek Medical Advice about Their Kids Even after Minor Incidents, Specialist Says

Parents should always turn to professionals if they have any doubts about their children's health, even though this may mean stretching the system with consultations and checkups after minor incidents, pediatric anesthesiologist Daniel Donchev told BTA in an interview.

Dr Donchev was one of a group of specialists at the Pirogov Emergency Hospital in Sofia who worked with parents on Saturday to teach them how to react to various conditions of their kids. The session took place during the second part of the Summer Academy for Parents: First Aid for Young Heroes.

The Summer Academy is aimed to give parents an idea about what they can do and how to get prepared and be calm and efficient in case of medical emergency affecting their kids, Donchev said. He noted: "For people who have no medical education, it is very difficult to judge whether they can cope on their own in a critical situation. We'd rather have children brought to us to make sure that they are OK and just send them back home than miss something important."

The Pirogov Hospital often receives parents with children after traffic accidents, mishaps at home or sport incidents. Choking on various objects or having a febrile seizure can be a big problem with little kids, the expert said.

He advised parents to get instructed about when they can apply first aid and how, and to be aware of when and how they can use emergency medical aid. "We often have to deal with panicked parents, because it is very hard for a non-professional to judge the seriousness of a situation. Parents often think that an incident is very dramatic and critical, when it is not," the physician said.

During Saturday's demonstrations, parents had a chance to share their worries with doctors. Some of the questions were about what to do if a kid is bitten by an animal, swallows an object, or gets a tick bite. The specialists showed them how to provide first aid.

Dr Donchev said that children aged up to three years should not be allowed to play with small objects, because an item the size of a peanut can block their breathing passage. Physicians said anxious parents should try to think rationally because panic is the worst possible response.