A doctor in the house

Introducing a step-by-step guide to help you determine if you need a doctor or not.

As parents we’ve all been desperate for an answer to the question: do we need to get junior to the doctor? Sometimes it doesn’t take long for that question to arise – there’s nothing quite like those first few weeks at home with a newborn, is there?
More than a decade ago a group of doctors from Huntsville got talking about that very problem in a pub one day. “Wouldn’t it be great if people had an easy, step-by-step guide they could follow to figure out whether or not they needed to come to see us?” was the gist of the conversation. Do I Need to See the Doctor? The Home Treatment Encyclopedia Written by Medical Doctors that Lets You Decide is the result. The latest version should hit the book stands any day now.
Dr. Brian Murat, Dr. Greg Stewart and Dr. John Rea have put together one of the most amazing resources any family could want. It’s not hard to suggest that every single family needs a copy of this book. In fact, it’s not a stretch to see how this book could save the province millions of dollars since it helps people figure out if spending everyone’s money on a trip to the doctor or the emergency room is needed.
More than 70 different health concerns are covered, each with a great flow chart that will help you go through the same step-by-step treatment plan that doctors use. As you work through the process, you’ll figure out if you need to make a trip to the health centre or hospital or if you can follow the home suggestions. It’s hard to imagine anything that’s not covered in this book – everything from mom and newborn care to special topics for teenagers to more specific adult ailments. There’s also excellent advice on concerns like asthma, burns, scrapes, emotional and mental health … well, the list could go on for a while.
What makes Do I Need to See the Doctor? such an excellent resource is that Murat, Stewart and Rea have provided detailed advice in such a simple and straightforward way. Sure, you could probably dig up a lot of this on the Internet, but doing a Google search on sore throats could keep you reading for a couple of hours. Here you can get all the information you really need in a matter of minutes.
“By necessity, this is not a comprehensive encyclopedia, but it is an important resource for the most common health problems for which patients seek guidance,” writes Dr. David Mathies, a former president of the Ontario College of Family Physicians in the forward. “Resources like this, when used effectively, can improve access to care for all, since only those who really need medical attention seek it out.”
Beyond that though, this book will provide some peace of mind whenever anyone in your house is sick.