Shannon Medical Center | Health Beat | Spring 2018

What if you passed out while at home with your child? Or what if your child needed help while home alone? For these reasons, teaching your child how to call for emergency help makes sense. When calling 911, your child will need to know your home address. So have your child practice it. Among other information, your child may need to tell the 911 dispatcher: ●  ● His or her name. ●  ● What the problem is. ●  ● The location of the person who needs care. It helps to give details, such as “Mom is on the kitchen floor” or “Dad is in the backyard next to the fence.” Even after help is on the way, the 911 dis- patcher may still need to ask some very impor- tant questions. So tell your child to stay on the line until the operator says it’s OK to hang up. One of the best ways to help your child if he or she has an emergency is to remain as calm as possible and provide reassurance. If you lose control, your child’s anxiety will soar. And that anxiety may even be worse than any pain your child is experiencing. You should also: ●  ● Tell your child what is happening in an honest but age-appropriate way. ●  ● Comfort your child and let him or her know that the doctors and nurses are there to help—and that it’s OK for them to do so. ●  ● If you can, bring something with you that your child loves, such as a favorite toy or calming blanket. ●  ● Tell the doctor or nurse if your child is taking any medications or has any allergies or past health problems or surgeries. Better yet, keep a list of such information with you so that it can be readily and easily shared. ●  ● Note the time your child last ate food or had anything to drink besides water. The doctors may need to know this if your child needs a procedure or medicines that re- quire an empty stomach. Shannon’s Emergency Department is a lead Level 3 trauma facility with specialists available around-the-clock. After you are treated and discharged from the emergency department, that may not be the end of your care. For instance, you may be instructed to see your primary care doctor for a follow-up visit or to get a diagnostic test, such as an MRI scan. Be sure to follow through with any such appointments or other instructions you or your child receives. Your regular doctor or a specialist may need to manage a problem that brought you to the emergency department— to help keep you from having to come back again. Or you may need further tests to learn more about what caused your condition or symptoms. Sources: American Academy of Pediatrics; American College of Emergency Physicians Emergency departments are there for you 24/7. Every day, about 366,000 people in the U.S. go to a hospital for emergency medical care. American Hospital Association WHEN YOU CAN’T BE THERE A consent-to-treat form allows care- givers to get medical care for your child when you’re not available. File a signed copy with your child’s school, and give one to anyone who cares for your child. Download forms at emergencycareforyou.org . Search for “organize medical information.” American College of Emergency Physicians MEDICATION ALERT Every eight minutes, a child in the U.S. is taken to an emergency department for medicine poisoning. Parents’ and grandparents’ medica- tions cause most of these poisonings. Safe Kids Worldwide HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT 03 Nearly 30 percent of patients who go to an emergency depart- ment in the U.S. are seen within 15 minutes of arriving. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention QUICK CARE 04 05 WHY YOUR CHILD SHOULD KNOW HOW TO CALL 911 WHY YOU MAY NEED FOLLOW- UP CARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE Spring 2018 5