Emergency Room Etiquette

I have recently made the switch over from the pediatric world into Adult Land. I simultaneously shifted from ICU to ED as well. Big changes. Big differences. But still a ton of patients to love on. One thing I have noticed so far about my job are how many parents will come into the adult ER to be seen with their children in tow.

Initial thoughts go something like this: NNOOOOOO
Then I remember that sometimes people don't exactly have an option for their kiddos for various reasons. So then I can calm down and go about my day.

Sometimes, it goes smoothly from there. The children are sometimes very well-behaved and they just sit their with mom or dad until we decide to admit/discharge the patient.

Sometimes, it does NOT go smoothly. And that's what I wanted to talk about today. It is truly not in your child's best interest for you to bring them into the ER unless they need to be there for their own illnesses or injuries.

Reasons Why:
1. It is a very scary place. There are all sorts of beeps, bumps, noises, screams, cries, and etc that kiddos have to absorb while sitting there with you.

2. Seriously. It can be a very traumatic place. What if you're in the room right across from the code that's going on? Children do not need to see compressions and dramatic intubations and families crying when things don't turn out well.

3. It's gross. We see a lot of very nasty illnesses and people in the adult ER that your child just doesn't need to be exposed to. It's in their best interest to keep them away from germs that can put them in their own hospital bed in a week or two.

4. Behavioral issues. Some kiddos don't act very well in public. And quite honestly, some kiddos don't have  parents to really reinforce rules like they should. More often than not the child I was promised would be calm is seen crawling all over the hospital floor, running up and down the hallways, and crawling up underneath the stretchers. That is an enormous safety hazard apart from being just plain gross. I've seen what goes on the hospital floor. Its not safe.

Just plain and simple: I love your kids, you love your kids. But if at all possible, keep them at home. They impede our care of you as our patient, they jeopardize the safety and privacy of other patients, and their safety both in regards to their health and also physically is greatly at risk.

And if you're not someone that would bring your kids to the ER, then awesome. But maybe you know someone that would definitely try it. Recommend they don't because of all those important reasons listed above. We don't want rowdy kiddos and you don't want sick kiddos.