Clinical Tip: A helping hand in the exam room

When parents bring a patient's sibling into the examination room, I generally ask the sibling if she could please help me examine her brother or sister. Holding a percussion hammer in one hand and a tongue blade in the other, the sibling is intent on when I will need the instruments. This allows me to perform the examination without distractions and with the aid of a very eager helper.

Natalie Sarkanich, MDWatchung, N.J.