International Nurses Association

When a child comes to the emergency room there is a certain protocol that is followed. The possibility of a case of child abuse must be ruled out when an injury has occurred. What can contribute even more stress is when there are two parents present, they are not together, and not in agreement over the child.  Tensions are elevated, and in the middle of it all can be a child in need of an X-ray or sutures.  How to Handle the Parents Your priority is the patient, the child.  The parents cannot be a major concern until such time the childis examined and is deemed to be ok.  -           Ask, or direct if necessary, the parents to go into a private consult room to have their discussion. Offer to have security accompany them to ensure neither party feels threatened or in danger. Inform the parents they may return once they have settled things and can turn their focus to the child. The parents should not be allowed to remain in the room if they are in a heated discussion.  -        

Hospitals are required to have an emergency preparedness plan in place. You should receive proper training regarding your responsibilities in the event of an emergency. Emergencies can range from minor to severe, and you should feel prepared to handle whatever may come your way. If you don’t feel that you have received proper training, alert your supervisor or human resource department and ask for additional trainings. Types of emergencies Weather related emergency- many people remember Hurricane Katrina. This was a disaster that was in fact predicted ahead of time alerting the public and officials, and yet the level of preparedness was minimal at best. The main issue was that no one anticipated the severity of this disaster. Hospitals were flooded, as staff tried to evacuate patients there were no means of transportation, nowhere to take the patient’s and highways were blocked as evacuations were underway. Patients lost their lives, medical personnel lost their licenses and