Glossary

Medical glossary

In the paediatrician's office, in your child's medical records and in guidelines you meet words that hardly ever come up in everyday speech. Because of them, a conversation with the doctor can sometimes feel harder than it really is. This glossary collects short, simple explanations of the most common terms. They help you understand what is being discussed, but they do not replace explanations from your paediatrician.

A word you understand takes away half the worry. If you know what a note in the records means, it is easier to ask a precise question.

— Editor's note

Check-ups

Preventive check-up: A routine visit to doctors while the child is well, to spot early what cannot be seen at home. In Russia, the procedure for such check-ups of minors is set by Ministry of Health order No. 514n; other countries have their own programmes.
Paediatrician: A doctor who looks after a child from birth to adulthood, monitors their development and refers them to other specialists when needed.
Screening programme: A set of routine examinations and tests. For children in Russia, the word dispanserizatsiya is often used in everyday speech for preventive check-ups at certain ages.
Child's medical record: A document in which doctors record the results of check-ups, vaccinations and past illnesses.
Warning signs: Changes in a child's condition that mean you should not wait for a routine visit. Which signs matter for your child is best discussed with your paediatrician in advance.
Numbers 112 and 103: In Russia, 112 is the single emergency number and 103 calls an ambulance from a mobile phone; they are used when a life is in danger. 112 also works across the EU; other countries have their own emergency numbers.

Vaccinations

National vaccination schedule: A document setting out which vaccinations are given and when. In Russia, the current schedule was approved by Ministry of Health order No. 1122n of 6 December 2021; other countries have their own schedules.
Vaccination: Giving a vaccine so the body is prepared in advance to meet a particular infection. The decision and all questions about it are discussed with the paediatrician.
Vaccination record: A document in which the vaccinations a child has received are recorded. It is useful to keep it together with the child's other medical documents.
Medical exemption: A doctor's decision not to give a particular vaccination, temporarily or permanently. Only a doctor makes it, after assessing the child's condition.
Vaccine reaction: Expected changes in how a child feels after a vaccination. Ask your paediatrician in advance what counts as normal and when to call the doctor.

Sleep and routine

Daily routine: A repeating pattern: getting up, meals, walks, play, sleep. Not a rigid timetable but a predictable rhythm.
Total sleep per 24 hours: Night-time sleep and naps added together over a day. This is how the WHO gives its guides for children under 5.
Nap: Sleep during daylight hours. For young children it is a normal part of the daily total; naps get shorter as children grow.
Bedtime ritual: A few calm steps repeated in the same order every evening that tell a child it is time to sleep.
Physical activity: Any movement that uses the body's energy: games, walks, swimming, dancing. The WHO gives guides on how much is needed at different ages.
Moderate-to-vigorous activity: Movement that makes you breathe faster. For children and teenagers aged 5–17, the WHO advises an average of at least 60 minutes of such activity a day.

Research

Guideline: A conclusion of a professional or international organisation based on a body of research. It describes a general approach, not a decision for a particular child.
Systematic review: A piece of work that gathers and compares all suitable studies on one question. Guidelines are usually built on such reviews.
Evidence-based medicine: An approach in which decisions rest on tested research evidence together with the doctor's experience and the patient's circumstances.
Sample: The group of people a study was carried out on. It determines which children the result can be applied to.
Observational study: A study in which researchers only observe and compare without changing anything. It shows an association but does not always prove a cause.

Where these words appear in the reference

Prevention
How to settle your child's daily routine in two weeks: steps, illustrative examples, common mistakes and a sleep-by-age table.
Questions
Questions worth writing down and asking your paediatrician at a routine check-up: about vaccinations, sleep and development.
Research
Where advice for parents comes from and how to calmly check a news story or a tip about children's health.
Topics
A map of topics: sleep and routine, movement, routine check-ups and vaccinations, home safety. The article catalogue is here too.

Questions
Questions worth writing down and asking your paediatrician at a routine check-up: about vaccinations, sleep and development.
Research
Where advice for parents comes from and how to calmly check a news story or a tip about children's health.
Sources
Which documents this reference relies on, how we select information and where the limits of the text lie.

Sources

World Health Organization: 2019 guidelines
World Health Organization: 2020 guidelines
Russian Ministry of Health Order No. 1122n of 6 December 2021
Russian Ministry of Health Order No. 514n of 10 August 2017

Information checked as of the date of preparation. WHO guidelines, the Russian national vaccination schedule and the rules for children's check-ups are updated from time to time, and other countries have their own schedules and programmes, so check the details for your child with your paediatrician.