Procedure of the examination
Preventive medical checkups usually follow a certain pattern, but this varies slightly from doctor to doctor. In most cases, an examination starts with a conversation in which the pediatrician asks the parents if they have noticed anything unusual or if they have other questions. Then the pediatrician contacts the child and first looks for externally recognizable abnormalities such as the skin or eyes and observes the child’s reaction.
This is followed by a physical examination with weighing, measuring and palpation of the organs and skeleton. Furthermore, some tests for age-appropriate development are carried out and the child’s reflexes are checked. If the parents do not wish otherwise, the child is given vitamin K. If the pediatrician himself performs the ultrasound examination of the hip, this comes after the other physical examinations.
The actual examination is followed by a consultation on vaccinations, accident prevention and nutrition. The parents have the opportunity to ask further questions and the next appointment is arranged. If there are any abnormalities, the further procedure will be discussed and possibly a referral to a specialist will be issued. Furthermore, the pediatrician will point out support offers in the region.
Does my child have to go to U3?
The regulations on preventive medical checkups vary from state to state. In Bavaria, Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, the examinations one to nine are obligatory and must also be proven when registering at a kindergarten or school. In the other federal states, parents receive a written reminder.
If no appointment has been made four weeks later, the pediatrician informs the Youth Welfare Office. The Youth Welfare Office then has to examine a possible child welfare risk, but cannot insist on the examination. To prove the examinations in day-care centers, a stamped card is enclosed with the yellow examination booklet, since only the performance but not the result of the examination must be proven.
Who bears the costs of U3?
The preventive medical check-ups in childhood, to which U3 belongs, are a compulsory service of the health insurance companies. Only if the maximum examination age, at which U3 exceeds the eighth week of life, the examination must be invoiced privately.
