Vital Statistics for an Emergency Phone Call

Vital Statistics for an Emergency Phone Call

When it's four a.m. and you've been up all night with a vomiting child, things can get a little blurry. To help the doctor determine what is wrong when you call, be prepared to provide the following information:

• Your name.
• Your child's name (and age and weight, if you don't see the doctor often).
• Your child's ailment, or what you think it might be.
• Your child's temperature. Take it before you place the call.
• The length of time your child has been ill.
• The symptoms—be as precise as possible. If your child has been vomiting or having diarrhea, how frequently? For example, how many times has it happened in the past 12 hours?
• A brief history: Are the symptoms getting better, worse, or holding steady? How much have they varied over the past 12 hours?