mixed feelings on bad news

[roguefaeri]

i got the news that yesterday the son of some friends of my parents' from church had broken his leg. he is very young, 2 at most. they rushed him to the hospital. when they got there he was admitted quickly and they got in to see a doctor almost immediately

Comments

[tweege]

i was always under the impression that if an infant or toddler was taken in to the hospital to be treated for fractures or bruises, etc. that it was the hospitals policy to have it investigated regardless of the doctor's thoughts/judgement of the family.
so i don't think it had anything to do with the doctor. i think if they had any other doctor, the outcome would have been the same. and if i took cage into the hospital because he jumped out of his crib and broke his arm, i'd have to go through the exact same thing. :[ it's shitty, but i think it's better to investigate everyone than to send the baby home without investigating at all.

i hope your family-friends get through this ok.

-peep

[sokharr]

Its not standard policy for a hospital to investigate an infant injury. There has to be some foundation or basis for one. Repeated bruising for instance, or if there is a broken bone, the type of break that has occurred. My mom, the nurse in the family can tell horror stories about all this (she's a paedatric nurse after all). The worse are nurses and doctors who accuse the family of abuse right away, without a thourough examination.

[roguefaeri]

that was what i was thinking might be the case. i was also just thinking of how horrible it would be to bring in my own child who was injured in an honest-to-god accident and be told i was under suspicion of abusing my child. i mean, i agree that it is better to be safe for the sake of all children, who can't defend themselves if they are indeed being abused. i just never thought that i would know anyone that it happened to, and i can only hope and pray that it never happens to me.

thanks for the well wishes.

[blackpearl61205]

it is also california state law that if a doctor suspects even the teensyist bit of abuse they absolutely have to investigate...even if its the child saying the rong thing...thinking nothing of it...and then the doctor is required...sorry doctor side of the family speaking up...california laws can be so silly sometimes...but if it were some other kid who was being abused they mite have saved his life...in your case...its probably just being careful...loving well adjusted parents rarely snap...but hey...its a valuable life lesson for the kid...dont break you leg untill your past the age of 5

[sokharr]

They have the same laws in Canada

[roguefaeri]

i didn't know if it were a law or not, but i did understand that it was a distinct possibility that they were following policy whether they think abuse was the cause or not. i've heard of zero tolerance policies before in cases of injuries that are considered common of abusive situations: removal of children from their parents, calling police to hospitals, etc. even if abuse didn't occur, if the child is injured in a manner that could have been the result of abuse. so basically, i'm just praying that everything works out for these friends of ours, and that it gets worked out quickly and with the least amount of difficulty.