Prescription Refills
Please ask your pharmacy to FAX a prescription refill request to our office at 801-213-7600.
Please allow two working days for prescriptions to be refilled.
We need to see our patients in clinic at least once a year in order to refill medications. Please bear this in mind and schedule follow up appointments well in advance.
New Patient Information
A referring doctor or primary care provider must send in a request for a new appointment with pediatric neurology. Once this referral is received, patients can schedule an appointment.
Pediatric Neurology clinics are held in several locations in the Salt Lake Valley area. Not all providers or services are available at all locations. When scheduling your appointment, please make sure to inquire where your clinic visit will occur. Check the locations tab for more information.
First Appointment
On the day of your appointment, it is important that you allow at least 30 minutes to park and register. Please note that if you are late, we may need to reschedule your appointment. If you cannot make it to an appointment, please call our schedulers as soon as possible (801-213-3599). We can re-schedule your appointment and also try to fill that appointment time for someone else.
Please bring any medical records relevant to your child's care with you. This includes copies of laboratory testing, medical records, MRI, CT scans, or EEGs your child has had. It is very important to bring copies of the actual MRI or CT scan images on DVD or CD. These can be obtained from the facility where those studies were done. You may need to fill out a Release of Information and send it to the other physician's offices or other hospitals in order to obtain this information.
Since the information communicated during an appointment is often complicated and of great importance to you, we strongly recommend that you do not bring other children with you to the appointment.
At your child's appointment you will meet with a member of the pediatric neurology division and discuss a plan of care for your child. In some cases laboratory tests (such as blood tests) or medical imaging (such as brain MRIs) will be ordered. Many lab tests take three to eight weeks for results. We will contact you if any of the results are abnormal. At your child's next appointment we will discuss the results of all of the testing.
You may have copies of the neurology visit note sent to you. To do this, your child must have a Release of Information on file, updated every year. You can download this form, have it notarized, and sent to us to keep on file. Alternatively, you can ask to fill out this form at your clinic visit and submit it then.
Follow Up Appointments
Depending on your child’s condition, follow up appointments may be recommended with your primary care provider or in neurology clinic, or both. The follow up appointment will usually be shorter than your first visit. Many neurologists have full schedules so it is important to schedule an appointment at least three months in advance if your child needs a follow up visit.
EEG Visit
Preparation
Here are the things families can do prior to the EEG visit to help us get the best quality EEG and the most helpful information from this test.
- Sleep deprivation (see below).
- No napping after waking - until the EEG is started.
- No sugar or caffeine after waking.
- Clean, dry hair; shampoo only.
- Bring the referral or pre-authorization with you to visit.
- Bring anything with you that the child might need to fall asleep. For infants, please bring their bottle, pacifier and diapers. For older children, bring their favorite blanket or anything else that comforts them.
- Have your child use the restroom right before being called back to start the EEG.
Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation can help us see abnormalities on EEG, so we ask that patients be sleep deprived the night before their EEG. Here are some guidelines for sleep deprivation based on patient age:
Children 0-1 years: Put to bed 1 hour later, wake up 2 hours earlier
Children 2-4 years: Put to bed 2 hours later, wake up 2 hours earlier
Children 5-9 years: No more than 6 hours sleep prior to 4a.m.
What to Expect
The child and parent will be brought to one of our EEG lab rooms where the EEG technician will apply the leads with paper tape to the scalp. For longer EEGs, the leads may be glued on. There are no needles or pokes, and the hair is not cut or shaved! Once the EEG leads are in place, the EEG technician will ensure the signals are being adequately recorded and then start the monitoring.
During the EEG, we ask the child to do 4 things: open and close the eyes, hyperventilation, photic stimulation and sleep. Hyperventilation is done by having the child blow on a pinwheel for 3 minutes. For photic stimulation we use a flashing light directed towards the child’s face - they can close their eyes if they want. This is usually done at the end of the EEG. In the middle of the EEG we turn out the lights and try to have the child fall asleep. The EEG technician leaves the room but monitors the video and the EEG so we know when the child falls asleep. We minimize interruptions and noise during this part of the EEG so the child can stay asleep for at least 10 minutes - hopefully longer.
The entire study takes about 60 minutes. It may be longer if it takes the child longer to fall asleep. When the EEG is over, the EEG technician will take the leads off and the child can go home.
How to get EEG Results
Contact your Primary Care Provider for results. If your child already has a neurologist you can contact your neurologist.
Results are typically available one ot three days after routine EEGs are performed.
EEGs done overnight in the Rapid Treatment Unit (RTU) or over several days in the hospital can take two weeks for results to be available.
Family Support Organizations
It can be difficult to know how to find resources for a child with complex medical problems. To start, families can contact our Social Workers for help with this. Other state programs and resources are available on-line, below.
Web Resources for Families
Utah Parent Center: Parents helping parents of children with disabilities
Medical Home Portal: Partnering families with providers in the care of children with chronic conditions
Utah Clicks: Online applications for state programs
Early Intervention: Developmental services for families of infants and toddlers, birth to age 3
Child Development Clinic: Consultation and case management for children with disabilities or behavioral problems.
Social Work
Experiencing Stress?
A visit to the hospital can be frightening and intimidating for you and your child. Getting the best help can sometimes be frustrating. Social workers are available to support you and your child and help meet the needs of your family.
Social workers at Primary Children’s Hospital are available Monday through Friday from 8 am to 5 pm. They can be reached at 801-662-3701. Social workers are also available at Riverton PCH Outpatient Services; ask your provider or at the front desk for their availability.
Here are some of the services that our social workers can provide:
- Assistance with transportation and temporary housing
- Advice regarding financial concerns or insurance issues
- Lending a listening ear when you are feeling stressed
- Advice when you need someone to help you problem-solve, prioritize, or set goals
- Support when your child needs help adjusting to the hospital
- Advice if you need ideas to meet the needs of your other children at home
- Assistance if you or your child is grieving a loss
- Aid finding resources in the community
- Resources for support and education groups
Contact Your Neurologist
For emergencies: Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.
It is difficult to give strict guidelines about when to go to the emergency department (ED). In general, if you think your child is in immediate danger, you should call 911 or go (safely) to the nearest ED.
For urgent needs or general medical concerns: Contact your child’s primary care provider (PCP).
If your child’s PCP needs additional information or guidance, she/he can contact Pediatric Neurology for advice.
For daytime neurological issues: Leave a message for our nurse at 801-213-3599.
For daytime neurological issues: Contact our nurse at 801-213-3599. Our staff is available Monday-Friday, 8:00am-5:00pm. Our nurses are very experienced in pediatric neurology and can handle most patient-related phone calls. If they cannot answer your questions immediately, they will discuss the issues with the neurologist. Often the neurologist you want to speak with may not be immediately available, but he or she will address your concerns as soon as possible.
After hours, nights, weekends and holidays: Call PCH 801-662-1000 for the on-call neurologist.
The on-call neurologist or neurology resident can help you with urgent neurological problems that can’t wait until the next working day. This covers issues such as sudden change in seizure frequency, a child who vomited up medications, or other urgent problems.