You can use Inciteful Med to research medical questions on behalf of a child you're responsible for - your own child, a child you foster or care for, or any minor where you have the legal right to be involved in their care.

Setting up the patient profile

Create a patient profile for the child the same way you would for any patient - see Creating a patient profile.

When you fill it out, include in the notes field:

The child's age
Weight, especially if you're researching anything involving doses
Any allergies and current medications
Relevant developmental notes if they apply

Pediatric questions depend heavily on age - the same condition can be managed very differently for an infant vs. a school-age child vs. a teenager. Including the age helps Inciteful Med ground its research appropriately.

Asking pediatric questions well

Always include the age in the question itself, even if it's in the patient profile. "What's the evidence for [treatment] in a 4-year-old?".
Mention weight if you're researching dosing. Pediatric drug dosing is usually weight-based.
Be explicit about pregnancy or breastfeeding when researching anything that might affect a parent providing care.

Records

Pediatricians' patient portals work like adult ones. You can:

Upload visit summaries, labs, and discharge papers from the pediatric portal
Import a FHIR or C-CDA export if your portal offers one
Capture symptoms or developmental observations in the patient profile Notes field - see Editing a patient profile

Pregnancy or postpartum questions

If you're researching during pregnancy, planning to be pregnant, or breastfeeding, see Researching during pregnancy or trying to conceive for guidance specific to that context.

Privacy and consent

A few things to keep in mind:

Records sit on the patient profile you create for the child, under your login. You're the one with access -there's no separate child account.
As children get older - especially teenagers - they may have their own opinions about whether records of theirs sit in your account. Worth a conversation.
Adolescents in many US states have separate confidentiality protections for some kinds of care (mental health, sexual health, substance use). Inciteful Med doesn't enforce or know about these. Your discretion as a parent or guardian applies.

Emergencies

If your child has an acute medical issue, call 911 or your pediatrician's after-hours line. Inciteful Med is research; it isn't an emergency service. See In an emergency.

When to use Inciteful Med vs. your pediatrician

Use Inciteful Med to:

Understand a diagnosis you've been given
Research treatment options before a follow-up visit
Prepare questions for a specialist referral
Compare what your pediatrician recommends with current guidelines

Don't use Inciteful Med to:

Decide whether to take your child to the doctor for an acute issue
Diagnose a child without a clinician
Make decisions about emergency care