One of the things our families love about Kennesaw Pediatrics are the separate well and sick waiting rooms. Unfortunately, it is the time of year when our sick rooms tend to be more full than the well waiting rooms. Due to the influx of patients with sniffles, sore throats, and fevers (oh my!), the staff at KP wanted to explain why we ask that you bring your child to the sick room, when we understand that is the last place you, as a parent, want to be with your child.
So why separate rooms? We want to keep everybody as healthy as possible. After a well check we want you to leave with a popsicle and a sticker, not a new cold. Separate rooms let well kids stay well.
Use the well room if you are here for…
- Well checks
- Lactation visits
- Baby weight checks
- Ear piercing
- ADHD, behavioral or emotional visits
- Orthopedic issues (sprain, strains, concussion, etc.)
- Follow up from a urinary tract infection (if no fever)
- Follow up from already diagnosed eczema
- Follow up from already diagnosed ear infection if no fever or cold symptoms in past 24 hours
Use the sick room is you are here for or if you have had in the past 24 hours…
- Fever
- Cold symptoms like congestion, cough, sore throat or runny nose
- Vomiting, diarrhea or stomach pain
- Rash
- Eye drainage or irritation
- Ear pain or follow up from ear infection if any of the above symptoms in the past 24hrs
So what if I don’t want to go to the sick room and risk catching something else?
We understand you don’t want to come for strep throat and leave with a stomach bug. We have pagers just like at a restaurant that you can use to wait in your car if you’d like. Just ask the front desk and they’ll be happy to set you up. We also have masks for anyone who’d like one. We do have air sanitizers in the rooms to cut down on airborne illness and we regularly wipe down the rooms with clinic-grade disinfectant to reduce any contact transferred illness.
I don’t think my child is contagious. Can’t I just wait in the well room?
Some of the symptoms on the sick list can be due to contagious or non-contagious conditions. Until the doctor has assessed your child, we do not know for sure if they are contagious or not. We have to be cautious and fair to well children in the well room until we know for sure. Even if something like an ear infection is in itself not contagious, the cold that caused it is, so the sick room is still the place to be.
My child has a cold, but we’re here for a well check. OR My older child is here for a well check but his little brother is with us and he was throwing up last night. So which room do we use?
No matter what visit you’re here for, if your child or anyone with you has symptoms on the sick list, you should be in the sick room or you can use our pager system.
Our staff does their best to ensure that only well children and parents wait in our well waiting rooms. But it is up to you, our patients’ parents, to help us keep germs from spreading. If you, another family member attending an appointment, or your child display any symptoms, please check in on the sick side. If you have any questions regarding where you should check in, please ask the staff when making your appointment.
We hope all of our patients have a healthy winter season. Our staff is here to help if you have any concerns or questions regarding our policies. We love our patients and appreciate your cooperation!