needinthenatreg
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I'm looking for some insight on a nat reg Q.....it deals with a postictal child and the parents do not want the kid to go. It's nat reg so I'm looking for the most right answer. thanks all, K
I'm looking for some insight on a nat reg Q.....it deals with a postictal child and the parents do not want the kid to go. It's nat reg so I'm looking for the most right answer. thanks all, K
A--B--Cs
They should be your first thought, as long as you stick with them, you'll never go wrong.
ABCs in a medicolegal question?
you need consent to transport. in the event of a minor child, you need the consent of the parent. if the parent isnt present, you can take the child under implied consent, but if they are on scene and say no, its no. regardless of how you may personally feel about it, the parent has the legal right to refuse care that could prove to be harmful to the child.
what your asking medical control to do is give you permission to kidnap a patient. md's only give that order in the case of psychiatric cases, which this isnt.
bottom line is you cant take a patient against their will, regardless of how you fell about it.
We take the kid if we think s/he needs medical attention, even if parents refuse care. All the JW drama recently led to them saying parents cannot refuse care for their minor children. Not to mention, parents may be trying to cover up signs of abuse. If necessary, police can become involved in order to take the child to the hospital. But it's up to you to decide whether a transport is indeed a life and death issue. If the kid's postictal, but has already been diagnosed with a seizure disorder, is taking medication, and is monitored by a physician for it, transport against the parents' decision with police and yelling matches and everything might not be the best thing to do. If it's the kid's first time having a seizure, then yes, you are probably going to take him/her in against the parents' wishes.
Outside of the NREMT, if you feel like the child is in danger and the parents refuse to let the child be treated then LEOs can always take them into protective custody; then you can transport. It very rare, however, that a parent won't want you to treat their child in a true emergency. Legally in Massachusets, KEVD18 is spot on; that's kidnapping if there's no consent.