what to do with the children

[ericcoch]

So here you go, what would you do?

You are dispatched to an unknown medical for a 42 yo female. You arrive to find a female, unresponsive, no signs of trauma, yada, yada, yada. Here is the fun part, this female runs an at home day care and there are six - 2 to 5 year olds running around. Hospital is 25 minutes away. What would you do? For the sake of not influencing the responses I am not telling what we did.

 

[TransportJockey]

So here you go, what would you do?

You are dispatched to an unknown medical for a 42 yo female. You arrive to find a female, unresponsive, no signs of trauma, yada, yada, yada. Here is the fun part, this female runs an at home day care and there are six - 2 to 5 year olds running around. Hospital is 25 minutes away. What would you do? For the sake of not influencing the responses I am not telling what we did.

Have PD call CYFD and stay with with teh kids, while you take the pt to the ED

 

[Shishkabob]

Call PD out to watch the kiddos.


Don't quite get what else you were looking for...

 

[medic417]

Load and go let the monsters I mean kids take care of themselves.

Can't take them with you as not enough car seats to secure them in. So as others said dump them on the cops.

 

[TransportJockey]

Load and go let the monsters I mean kids take care of themselves.

Can't take them with you as not enough car seats to secure them in. So as others said dump them on the cops.

Make sure we feed them sugar before dumping them on the cops?

 

[MonkeySquasher]

Well first, why is she unconscious? Anything that'll hurt the kids that we should be worried about?

Otherwise I'd put the kids in a room together and treat until FD got there, then transport and let FD stay until PD got there.

 

[Aidey]

Well first, why is she unconscious? Anything that'll hurt the kids that we should be worried about?

Good point. I think anything that would affect the kids would have affected them first though.

In reality, the FD would be with us, and the kids would remain on scene with them while we transported. Most likely PD would be called so they could contact the children's parents and sort things out.

If we weren't with the FD, and PD had an unknown ETA (which they normally do) I would call for FD and/or our supervisor.

This is pretty much what happens with any unattended kids (or something like pets in a car), as this situation could occur with a number of different scenarios. I've had several calls where we transport while FD waits on scene with the kids until a parent/family member/friend shows up.

For me it is preferable to have someone take care of the kids rather than trying to bring them along. This is especially true if the patient is too sick/injured to watch the kids, which will necessitate the hospital making arrangements for them.

 

[lightsandsirens5]

I'm gonna go with the general population's idea here. Transport as soon as FD or PD shows up.

Also, who called 911? The kids?

The only other option is to attempt to find a coworker of hers somehow. Phone list, cell phone contacts, etc. Try to get another daycare worker to come in. PD could handle that as well.

 

[MonkeySquasher]

Good point. I think anything that would affect the kids would have affected them first though.

Sure, it could be something airborne/respiratory. I was referring more to... is she diabetic, or did she do some heroin and there are needles around. Maybe she takes muscle relaxants and somehow OD'd, and the bottle is still around.

 

[Smash]

Versed and morphine in the kids drink bottles, take patient to hospital while the kids have a snooze.

Is this a trick question?

 

[ericcoch]

PD is what we did, it was in a small town, everyone knows, everyone. Took a little heat from waiting 20 minutes for PD to arrive, and not calling the number of neighbors who said that they would have come and watched the kids. Just wanted to see if we were missing any other options. To answer one of the questions, Pt called for herself, ended up having a stroke.

 

[Fox800]

PD is what we did, it was in a small town, everyone knows, everyone. Took a little heat from waiting 20 minutes for PD to arrive, and not calling the number of neighbors who said that they would have come and watched the kids. Just wanted to see if we were missing any other options. To answer one of the questions, Pt called for herself, ended up having a stroke.

Not your fault. There's a lot of liability in leaving kiddos with some random neighbor, especially in the scenario given. Lawsuit waiting to happen if something goes wrong and you leave them with a convicted felon/deviant/someone that's unsafe.

 

[mycrofft]

Scene safety issue,,,,,

What exactly was the involvement of the kids? Check the security camera in the teddy bear:

"Billy, is she coming?".
"Naw, Timmy, she's in the john".
"OK, quick, Cindy, under the sink there's a little green bottle with the picture of a bug on it...".

 

[Epi-do]

Sounds like you made a decent call. My only question would be if there had been someone else you could have called that would have gotten there before PD, like FD or a supervisor? I wouldn't want to be sitting around onscene for 20 minutes with an unresponsive patient, but that's just me.

 

[Veneficus]

Versed and morphine in the kids drink bottles, take patient to hospital while the kids have a snooze.

Is this a trick question?

I like the way you think

 

[mycrofft]

Benedryl and a touch of vodka = Nyquil

And no narcotic miscounts.

You do realize I'm kidding?

(I actually did it to a friend in distress, who slept for two days. Needed it).

 

[Trayos]

And no narcotic miscounts.

You do realize I'm kidding?

(I actually did it to a friend in distress, who slept for two days. Needed it).

as in 48 hours?

 

[mycrofft]

She hadn't slept in three days.

Yeah as in 48 hrs.
I was worried, not even into nursing college and practicing anethesia without a license.

 

[Trayos]

Yeah as in 48 hrs.
I was worried, not even into nursing college and practicing anethesia without a license.

Did she come out okay from the whole experience? 3 days is about when body functions start to act weird, from my limited knowledge.

 

[emt seeking first job]

Questions for the OP.

Did your agency have a SOP for this situation ?

Did you radio a supervisor for advice ?

Did your agency sanction you in any way for your decesion to stay ? Or was it just public opinion....

in nyc area, cops would have been on the call, you are in rural area? so must happen occasionaly ?not sure about leaving them with just any neighbor....how do you know who to trust?