Inglés para visitas pediátricas: cómo ayudar a tu hijo a describir síntomas y responder al médico

Inglés para visitas pediátricas: cómo ayudar a tu hijo a describir síntomas y responder al médico

La parte más difícil de una visita al pediatra no suele ser el inglés en sí — es que tienes que traducir por alguien que aún no puede describir su propio cuerpo. Un niño dice "me duele la pancita", y tú tienes que convertir eso en "empezó a quejarse de dolor de estómago anoche, no ha estado comiendo, no tiene fiebre y estuvo en la guardería ayer". Es mucha información condensada en una visita corta. Preparar las frases de antemano hace que todo fluya mejor.

Este artículo enseña comunicación en inglés para situaciones de atención sanitaria. No es un diagnóstico ni un consejo de tratamiento médico. Si tu hijo presenta síntomas urgentes — dificultad para respirar, labios azulados, convulsiones, pérdida de consciencia, fiebre alta que no baja o signos de deshidratación — contacta con los servicios locales de emergencia o acude inmediatamente a urgencias.

Vocabulario esencial

Término Significado Ejemplo
pediatrician pediatra / médico de niños We're seeing the pediatrician at 10.
fever temperatura corporal elevada He's been running a fever since last night.
temperature lectura de temperatura corporal Her temperature was 39 degrees Celsius this morning.
rash zonas de piel roja e irritada She has a rash on her belly and back.
cough tos He has a dry cough that gets worse at night.
runny nose secreción nasal She's had a runny nose for two days.
ear pain pain in the ear He keeps tugging at his ear and crying.
diarrhea loose, frequent stools She's had diarrhea three times today.
vomiting throwing up He vomited twice after breakfast.
appetite desire to eat His appetite has been low since yesterday.
immunizations / shots vaccines Are her immunizations up to date?
daycare / preschool childcare setting He goes to daycare five days a week.

Frases imprescindibles

Estas son las herramientas todoterreno del padre o la madre — útiles para casi cualquier visita pediátrica.

  1. "My son / daughter has been ___ since ___."
  2. "She's been running a fever of around 38.5."
  3. "He won't eat / he's not eating much."
  4. "She's been more tired than usual."
  5. "He keeps pulling at his ear."
  6. "I gave him children's Tylenol about two hours ago."
  7. "There's a stomach bug going around at daycare."
  8. "His immunizations are up to date."
  9. "He's allergic to ___."
  10. "I'm worried because he's not drinking enough."
  11. "How much should I give him, and how often?"
  12. "When should I bring him back if he doesn't get better?"

Forma poco natural vs. forma natural

Poco natural Natural Por qué
My son is sick fever. My son has a fever. / My son is running a fever. No se dice "sick fever". Usa "have a fever" o "running a fever".
He no eat. He won't eat. / He's not eating. "Won't" implica negarse activamente; "not + V-ing" significa que no lo está haciendo ahora.
She vomit two times. She vomited twice. Pasado + "twice" es más natural que "two times".
His ear is pain. He has ear pain. / His ear hurts. Para el dolor se usa "have + symptom" o "subject + hurt".
I give him medicine already. I already gave him some medicine. Pasado + posición correcta de "already".
He cry whole night. He cried all night. Pasado + "all night".
Daycare have many sick child. A lot of kids at daycare are sick right now. Sujeto y tiempo verbal naturales.

Diálogo situacional: niño de 4 años con dolor de oído

Receptionist: Hi, what's the patient's name and date of birth?

Parent: His name is Leo Lin, born March 5, 2022. We have a 10:15 appointment.

Nurse: What brings Leo in today?

Parent: He's been pulling at his right ear since last night, and he has a low fever — about 38.2. He's also been more cranky than usual and didn't eat much breakfast.

Nurse: Any cough, runny nose, or vomiting?

Parent: A little runny nose for the past three days, no vomiting. He goes to daycare and there's a cold going around.

Doctor: Any allergies, and are his shots up to date?

Parent: No known allergies. His immunizations are all up to date.

Doctor: Okay, I'm going to take a look in his ears and throat. Leo, can you open wide for me?

Parent: If you prescribe anything, could you write down the dose? I want to make sure I give him the right amount.

Plantillas de frases intercambiables

Sustituye [BLANK] por la situación de tu hijo.

  1. "My [son / daughter] has had [BLANK] for [BLANK]."
    • My daughter has had a cough for four days.
    • My son has had a rash on his arms for two days.
  2. "He's been running a fever of around [BLANK]."
    • around 38.5 Celsius
    • around 101 Fahrenheit
  3. "I last gave him [BLANK] at [BLANK]."
    • children's Tylenol at 8 a.m.
    • ibuprofen about three hours ago
  4. "She's allergic to [BLANK]."
    • peanuts
    • amoxicillin
  5. "I'm worried because [BLANK]."
    • she hasn't had a wet diaper in six hours
    • he won't drink any water
  6. "Should I bring him back if [BLANK]?"
    • the fever doesn't go down in 48 hours
    • the rash spreads

Práctica rápida

Di cada una de estas en inglés natural.

  1. Di al médico que tu hija empezó a tener fiebre de unos 38 grados anoche.
  2. Explica que tu hijo no está comiendo mucho, pero sigue bebiendo.
  3. Menciona una alergia al cacahuete.
  4. Indica que diste medicamento para la fiebre hace dos horas.
  5. Pregunta cuándo deberías traerla de vuelta si no mejora.

Respuestas de muestra

  1. My daughter has had a fever since last night, around 38 degrees.
  2. He's not eating much, but he's still drinking.
  3. She's allergic to peanuts.
  4. I gave him some fever medicine about two hours ago.
  5. When should I bring her back if she doesn't get better?

Hoja resumen lista para copiar

Rellénala en el móvil antes de la visita. Cuando te pregunten, lee directamente de la lista.

Pediatric visit summary
- Child's name: __________
- Date of birth: __________
- Weight (approx.): __________ kg / lb
- Main symptom: __________ (started ___ ago)
- Fever: highest ___, last measured at ___
- Other symptoms: cough / runny nose / rash / vomiting / diarrhea / ear pain
- Eating: normal / less than usual / not eating
- Drinking: normal / less than usual / refusing
- Last wet diaper / bathroom: __________
- Medications given today: __________ at ___
- Allergies: __________
- Immunizations up to date: yes / no
- Daycare / preschool exposure: __________
- My main concern today: __________

Leer esta lista en voz alta al médico es mucho más rápido que ir respondiendo pregunta por pregunta.

Lecturas relacionadas

Recordatorio: Este artículo enseña comunicación en inglés para situaciones de atención sanitaria. No es un diagnóstico ni un consejo de tratamiento médico. Sigue las indicaciones de tu pediatra local para el cuidado real de tu hijo. Si observas signos de emergencia (respiración acelerada, labios azulados, convulsiones, deshidratación grave), llama de inmediato al número local de emergencias.