Sentara MDLIVE Helps Moms And Dads
When Their Children Get Sick This Winter
‘Tis the season for sudden illnesses. Mom or Dad might notice that their child is feeling a bit warm or tugging at her ear.
Your first steps: Check your child’s temperature, and consider her age, current activity level, and other symptoms, recommends Emily H. Cooper, MD, a Sentara Healthcare family medicine physician.
There are no absolute rules about when to spring into action, but as a general guideline, physicians often recommend the following:
What to look for
If your child is younger than three months old and has a fever above 100.4, go ahead and contact a doctor to be on the safe side.
If she’s between three and six months, look to see if her fever is above 101. If so, call a doctor.
If she’s older, you can probably wait to call unless her temperature is at 103 – or it’s at 102 and she has two or more of the following symptoms: a cough, a sore throat, a runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, chills, fatigue, and diarrhea.
If she’s tugging at her ear, she might have an ear infection.
With more children taking swimming lessons and joining year-round swimming teams now, doctors diagnose ear infections frequently during the winter.
An antibiotic is necessary to treat it. Try placing a warm cloth on your child’s ear to ease the pain until you can get treatment.
Getting help quickly
Your fastest option for connecting with a doctor and having a prescription called into a pharmacy could be Sentara MDLIVE, a round-the-clock, by-phone or video chat service available throughout Virginia and nationwide.
Insurance providers often cover Sentara MDLIVE visits. If not, the cost of a visit is $45 — significantly less than an ER or urgent care visit.
Sentara MDLIVE isn’t limited to children with cold, flu or earache symptoms; patients can use the service for any non-emergency condition including sinus infections, mild respiratory problems, and seasonal allergies. The service is provided for children ages two and older as well as adults.
How does it work?
Log on to www.mdlive.com/sentara or call 1-800-335-4836 to get started. You’ll consult with a board-certified doctor using your computer and a webcam or the telephone. Virtual appointments are usually scheduled within minutes of registration and are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
