Dr. Brazelton’s 5 Tips for Choosing a Doctor

World-renowned pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton offers advice for choosing a pediatrician for your child.

World-renowned pediatrician T. Berry Brazelton has helped parents care for their children for almost five decades. During his noteworthy career, Dr. Brazelton has trained thousands of pediatricians on how to best care for children. He has also been a leading advocate for family and child health. There is only one Dr. Brazelton, but when it comes to picking a pediatrician for your own child, the renowned doctor offers the following advice: 

1. Check the physician’s credentials. Is he well trained, with access to a good hospital? Does he provide electronic medical records for easier access to your files?Is he available when you need him? Does he have coverage for when he is not available? Most physicians practice in a group, so that one member is available at all times. While you may have preferences among the doctors, it certainly is critical to have someone on call at all times.

2. Decide what type of doctor or nurse practitioner you should select. Have you thought about whether a pediatrician, nurse practitioner or family physician, who is trained to provide primary care to adults as well as children, is more suited to the needs of your family?

3. Ask others about the doctor’s personality. Do friends whom you respect seem to like him? Would the doctor be willing to meet with you for an interview? Many doctors don’t liked to be “looked over,” but some don’t mind. I always preferred to have prospective patients know about me and come to me with their eyes open. This gave me a chance to be sure that I could work with them, too. A parent-doctor relationship is a mutual one. Each party should respect the other and be ready to work things out if the relationship becomes stressed.