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SIGNS OF ILLNESS THAT SHOULD BE REPORTED TO PHCA:
Fever – an axillary (under the arm for five minutes) temperature of 100° or a rectal temperature of 100.4; or a temperature under 97°;
Excessive crying – especially with refusal to feed;
Vomiting - not just “spitting up”;
Listlessness – after the first 48 hours of life, extreme sleepiness and inability to awaken spontaneously for feeding can be a sign of illness;
Poor feeding – not eating, having a weak suck, or seemingly too weak to eat. Or if the baby is not feeding frequently enough (every 2-3 hours or 8-12 feeds in 24 hours) after the first 2 to 3 days of life;
Bowel movements are watery, mucousy or very infrequent.
EMERGENCIES AFTER OFFICE HOURS: For emergencies or severe illness (such as difficulty breathing) which cannot wait until office hours, call 978-535-1110 right away. If the answering service answers, leave a message and keep your phone line open. In an emergency, the answering service can reach us immediately. Please be patient, but in a true emergency call again in 5-10 minutes if you have had no reply. During certain hours, a recorded phone message will provide you with a special number for emergency use only. Please follow the recorded instructions carefully. To save yourself time, expense and receive the best care for your child, call the office before going to an emergency department, except in a life-threatening emergency.
PHONE CALLS: At times other than office hours, including through the night, our phones are answered by our voice mail system which relays all calls to our triage nurse. She will return your call, evaluate the problem, and provide you with medical advice about temporary management until regular office hours. For emergencies, she will either contact our doctor who is on call or refer you directly for an emergency room visit, depending on the nature and severity of the problem. Otherwise, calls about routine appointments and prescription refills should be made during regular daytime office hours, if possible. We return all phone calls. If you do not hear from us within a reasonable time, please call back. Please have a pencil and paper and your pharmacist’s number at hand whenever you call. Also be sure to “unblock” your phone so that our office will be able to return your call without difficulty.
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