AAP has launched a Spanish online medical resource for parents for you to share with your Latino friends.
It happens all the time: Your child comes down sick or gets hurt on a weekend or after the doctor’s office has already closed for the day. You may wonder if your child’s illness or injury is serious enough to warrant a trip to the Emergency Room, or if she can ride it out until the doctor’s office is open, and therefore avoid a costly, time-consuming trip to the ER.
Fortunately, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a great site to help parents determine the best course of action for their sick or injured children. HealthyChildren.org provides online tools for parents to evaluate and treat their children’s health issues. And because the need for health literacy is especially critical for Spanish-speaking Latino families, the AAP has just launched a Spanish version of the site.
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Like it’s English counterpart, HealthyChildren.org en Español, is backed by 60,000 pediatricians providing support, resources and a host of features to enable Hispanic parents to quickly find important and trusted child health information in Spanish. On the site, you’ll find interactive tools, including:
- The KidsDoc Symptom Checker: Parents can enter their child’s symptoms and receive up-to-date advice about how to treat minor illnesses at home, or when it’s time to call the doctor.
- Ask the Pediatrician: A tool that allows parents to browse a list of frequently asked questions, or pose their own questions.
- Find a Pediatrician: A tool that makes it easy for both first-time and experienced parents to find a Spanish-speaking AAP-member pediatrician in their area.
The site is easy to navigate and parents can look up information related to their child’s age or developmental stages. You’ll also find guidance on the topic of healthy living, like fitness, sports, oral health, emotional wellness, and nutrition. More than 300 healthcare topics are covered, including immunizations. We especially like the articles featured on the home page. A recent quick glance showed articles discussing internet safety, how to prevent lawn mower injuries, and a description of newborn screening tests, just to name a few. The articles can even be listened to (Yes! In English and Spanish), using the audio reader button at the top of each one.
Families who register on the site receive a free, bi-weekly e-newsletter, a personalized home page featuring content based on the age of their child, and other special offers.
In celebration of the launch of the new website, the first 2,000 HealthyChildren.org en Español registered users will receive a free Spanish KidDoc Symptom Checker App for iPhone and iPad devices. The app is also available in English for iPhone and Android devices for just $1.99.
So now there is no need to worry over late night fevers, or whether your child is having a serious allergic reaction to a bee/wasp sting. Healthy Kids and Healthy Kids en Español are available online 24 hours a day to help answer all your children’s health-related questions.
