Tag Archives: campus healthcare

Ear Infections in Children

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Ear infections are a prevalent problem, mainly among younger children resulting in millions of visits to the doctor annually. Most children will experience at least one ear infection during childhood. Ear infections can occur in the ear canal, in the middle ear, or deep behind the eardrum, and can be quite painful.

What is an ear infection?

An ear infection occurs when mucus or fluid becomes trapped in the ear canal, often due to, or occurring with a swollen Eustachian tube. This fluid becomes infected by harmful bacterial or viral germs that are trapped in with the fluid.

Common Symptoms to Watch Out For

Run-of-the-mill ear infection symptoms include:

  • Earache (sometimes intense pain)
  • Ear discomfort and itching
  • Problems hearing
  • Fever
  • Vomiting or upset stomach
  • Fluid leakage from the ear
  • Fussiness in babies or irritability in children

What Causes an Ear Infection?

Some of the things that can cause ear canal swelling and fluid blockages that lead to an infection include:

  • Swimming (a type of ear infection known as swimmer’s ear is very painful and often reoccurs)
  • Upper respiratory infections
  • Colds, flus or allergies
  • Swollen or infected adenoids

Treatment for Ear Infections

Most ear infections are viral by nature, therefor antibiotics will not help the infection. If your doctor determines this is the case, they will suggest treatments to help manage the symptoms of the infection (such as NSAIDs for the pain) and likely instruct you to keep a close eye on the child and bring him or her back if symptoms don’t improve within a week or so. If the doctor suspects the infection is bacterial, they will prescribe a course of antibiotics. Often treatment is case dependant, and may begin with home remedies, managing medications and a watchful eye.

Potential Complications

Complications are rare in healthy children, however, it is possible for the mucus not to properly clear, leading to a condition known as ‘glue ear’, or for your child to have some hearing problems for a week or two after the infection is treated. Another potential complication is a perforated eardrum. These issues often resolve themselves within a few weeks. A more serious potential complication of ear infections occurs when the ear infection is left unmonitored and spreads to nearby places such as the brain or other nearby nerves or tissues. This can be life threatening, so if your child appears to get much sicker when they should be getting better, continues to have a fever or develops any new questionable symptoms, be sure to seek treatment for him or her immediately.

Can You Prevent Ear Infections?

Most of the time, yes, ear infections can be prevented by taking a few key precautions. Try not to allow your small child to put objects in their mouth or share toys. Keep them away from contagious children if possible. Preventing babies from drinking while lying down will ensure liquid doesn’t enter the ear canal where bacteria can grow. Studies show that children who use pacifiers or are exposed to second-hand smoke tend to get ear infections more frequently, so try to limit pacifier use and never let your children be around second-hand smoke. Lastly, keep your child up-to-date on their immunizations as to prevent undue illness that could lead to infections.

Thanks for visiting DocChat! If you suspect your child may have an ear infection, feel free to sign up today for a video conference with our emergency experienced, board certified doctors.

 

Telemedicine for Post Secondary Students

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When your son or daughter goes away to University or College to start their new life, there are a million worries for a parent. One less worry should be their healthcare. Telemedicine is an excellent solution to many of the obstacles standing in the way of quality healthcare while living away from home.

Campus Healthcare Shortfalls

Unfortunately, many campuses offer little in the way of quality, convenient healthcare. Most often the clinics are small, only open for a limited window of time, lacking necessary resources or sometimes even a licenced medical doctor, and are often over-burdened during hours of operation. The only other alternative to on-campus care is a trip to the local emergency room, which would inevitably include germy waiting rooms, long wait times, rushed appointments, often just for simple medical issues like sinus infections or cold which could be easily handled via telemedicine.

So Why DocChat for Students?

  1. Affordability

With a one-time price of $50 per consultation (including unlimited follow-up for a week), DocChat has no deductibles or hidden fees. This makes a visit affordable, as opposed to spending money on taxies, large copays at the hospital (or even bigger expenses if the student doesn’t have adequate insurance).

  1. Autonomy

College students want privacy and autonomy over their healthcare, rightfully so. With DocChat, the student can connect with one of our highly qualified physicians in minutes from the privacy of their own room for a highly secure, one-on-one video or phone consultation. Receiving in-room care eliminates worries about anyone else overhearing the student’s medical information in a crowded hospital or campus clinic.

  1. Convenience

Receiving healthcare from one’s room circumvents such concerns as catching additional illnesses while waiting in germ-ridden wait rooms, as well as wasting a whole day in pursuit of a necessary prescription or simple medical advice. DocChat connects you to a board certified physician in 15 minutes or less, or the call is free.

  1. Follow-up

Another invaluable DocChat feature for students is the ability to reconnect with their doctor for unlimited follow-up concerns for up to a week after the initial consult. If a young adult goes to the ER for care, there is virtually no way to contact the doctor they saw should they have any questions about their visit afterward. With DocChat it is as simple as sending a secure private chat message.

  1. Simple Prescriptions

DocChat can also prescribe non-controlled substances like antibiotics or condition-specific medications to students and have them sent directly to the student’s local pharmacy.

 

Perhaps the most important benefit of students utilizing telemedicine for their medical needs is the peace of mind both the student and their family back home can have knowing excellent healthcare is just a video call away. Thanks for visiting DocChat! We hope you’ll return again soon.