Was this nurse violating my patient rights???

Question

I took my 2 year old son to the ER last night, the nurse took his temperature and said, "we need to get some tylenol in him".
I told her that in order to give him tylenol I have to mix it with juice or milk, she said "we can't do that" and basically blew me off.
I said " I'm telling you it is a waste of time, he will throw up if you try to force him to take it, trust me i've tried."
She walked away without saying anything, a few minutes later I hear her talking saying you hold him down while I give him the medicine, and her and another nurse walked around the corner with a hugh syringe filled with tylenol, I still give my son the infant drops so it's less for him to take, anyway, she tells me to take him back and put him on the bed, again I told her no she was not forcing medicne on my son to let me do it my way and he would take it. I then said fine I'm leaving and she said bye very rudly. Did I mention she was rude from the begining, acting frustrated because he didn't want weighed!

Ok for
1. I am a nurse and patients do have right when it comes to how a medication is to be given.
2. she was rude before I decided to leave
3.It IS ok to mix medications with juice or milk
4. My son did receive treatment just not from there.
5. He was never seen by a doctor
6. I was not rude to her at anytime!
7. My son just turned 2! and it IS ok to still give him infant drops, read the box next time!
it says 2-3 years of age and up to 35 pounds, my son weighs 34lbs.
Thanks to those few who agree with me!

God you people are as clueless as the nurse!
HE WILL THROW UP! TRUST ME!
Do you think I haven't tried to get him to take medicine straight before, do you think I like having to mix it, he literally gags and throws up on tylenol, he already felt bad enough why make him feel worse???
And after tryng 5 years and finally having to resort to fertility drugs I will baby and spoil my son as much as I want!!!!

Thanks to those who agree with me! , a hysterical 2 year old with a double ear infection,one about to rupture is really easy to tell what to do, lol. I really appreciate your positive comments, and he is doing much better today, thanks for the well wishes!

Answer 1

I have often had experiences with nurses and Dr.'s where they will not listen to me. They are too busy and often blow me off, and as parents we know our kids better then they do and thus they should listen to us.
I believe it was TOTALLY in your right to tell her to mix it with juice, and what reasoning could she possibly have to not do something so simple as that?
My son was once really sick when he was two, but he doesn't always "show" it, he can often seem happy when he is sick, but I know him and he was not well.
The Dr. blew me off and sent us home saying he was fine. Well he wasn't and we ended up in Emergency again later that day. This time the Dr did listen and my son got the help he needed.

I hope your son is all right now.

Addition: For those who are saying that it's ok the nurse was rude because the child was fussy when being weighed...umm he's 2 and sick...PLUS if the child is going to throw up the medicine if given it straight then I don't for a second see how it could possibly be a more effective way to do it then adding it to juice (Which IS ok to do, as my Dr has suggested as such). Plus she explained that they didn't get to see a Dr. so that probably was not all the treatment he needed...but when a nurse in the intake see a temp they give them Tylenol.

Answer 2

I dont want to sound harsh or rude but I totally agree with everyone else. If his fever was that high that they wanted to give him medicine right away I would have given him the Tylenol. Its not like they wanted to give shots...its tylenol... If he's at a normal weight for a 2 year old you shouldnt give him infant drops just so its not as much for him to take.. They arent as effective if he's over the weight limit. He's going to have to learn to take medicine.. What if he was REALLY ill....would you fight then?? You shouldnt mix it in w/ milk or juice.. I agree and also probably would have been "annoyed" because she could see you cater to him instead of trying to get him better.. Its different when they are well but when they are sick YOU need to do whats best for him.. He cant take a huge syringe if hes only 2 yrs old.. I think the normal dose is only 1 tsp. I would buckle down and make sure he does it. If he knows it will make him feel better he will.. You can fight with him to take medicine when he NEEDS it... I hope he's feeling better and you figured out whats causing him to be sick.. Good Luck..

Answer 3

Neither yours nor your son's patient rights were violated in this situation. ER is for seriously ill and injured patients. If you take your child to ER, it is assumed you are there for them to help you. If you fight them every step of the way, it is going to be frustrating for both you and the health care professionals. Professional doses of pain relievers are based on a child's weight so I can see how it would delay treatment to not be able to weigh your son, which would cause frustration on the nurses part. If all he needed was Tylenol and you knew how to give it to him, it may be better to try that at home first before taking him to ER. If he were very sick, then letting the nurses get the Tylenol in him the best way they knew how would have caused some short term problems for him, but in the long run your goal is to get him better. When it comes to illness, sometimes you have to do what needs to be done even when the child fights it.

Answer 4

Not a violation of your rights, but she was rude. If you went to the ER looking for their help and expertise then you should let them treat your child. And you do have the right leave at any time even if it is against medical advice. But they do have the right to charge you for the inital exam. You really shouldn't mix tylenol into a drink it cuts it down and could make it ineffective. And you should be giving him children's tylenol or motrin not the infant drops. I'm not trying to be rude. My family is in the EMS field (paramedics mostly) and I'm considering becoming a nurse myself. Giving a child tylenol in a syringe is typical, unless the child will take it from a cup. I had to take my now 7 yr old to the ER when he was 18 months old and split his head open. He needed 3 staples in his head and they had to put him in a thing they called a papoose (spelling is probably wrong) and hold him down to put the staples in. I thought it was horrible that i couldn't hold him, but i understood that in order to get the staples in and to not hurt him any more he needed to be restrained. Sometimes restraint is needed when the child is very fearful, but they should have let you calm him down first and try to do it without scaring him. Fear is a natural thing for your child when you take them to the ER, its a scary place, they don't know anybody and they are looking at them and there are bright lights and noises you wouldn't hear at the doctor's office and you are scared as well since you didn't know what was wrong with him at the time. And your child could have picked up on your fear making things worse. He is probably the sweetest child, but he was probably scared. I hope he is feeling better now and that you are feeling better as well. I hope you and your family have a great rest of the week and take care.

Answer 5

I'm not sure on policy's or anything like that, i just want to applaud you for sitcking up for your child. He is to young to voice he needs and concerns. I have a very active five year old who has had to be held down a few times for doctor's stuff. But that was only as a last resort, even though many of these times she was much younger we still explained it to her, and i was involved in it. I wanted her to see a familiar face. So while i don't know if you were being rude too as someone suggested, if you were the nurse should have understood you were just concerned about your child. I would see if there is anoter er close by, or if you go there again make sure you get a different nurse. Good luck!

Answer 6

I have to say I totally agree with you. My son does exactly the same thing whenever I have to give him childrens panadol(AUS). I found the best way was to also put it in his juice. They cant tell the difference and they get the dosage needed without the hassle. There's nothing worse than a rude nurse who wont listen. I know she was trying to do her job, however you knew how your child would throw up so she should have listened to you. I'm glad you got him treated elswhere and I hope he is feeling much better.

Answer 7

it doesn't sound like it. You didn't say no to the medicine and since she is a nurse she would know that you are not supposed to mix medicine into your childs drinks. She didn't have to be rude but I wonder if you were rude to her? I do wonder though why you still let your son have the infant drops and why you insist he needs it with milk or juice. It doesn't do him or you any good to baby him. no offense.

Answer 8

No, you are not promised treatment the way you want it, merely treatment, and you will be billed for this to.

You refused medical treatment, you have that right to refuse, but giving a child medication in a syringe is normal and customary method of doing it.

And if the child was seriously enough ill to be taken to a ER, then you needed to stay and allow them to treat the child.

Answer 9

Nope it's not a violation of patient's rights...YOU were not the patient. They were tending to your son's needs not YOUR'S. You son needed Tylenol they were giving it to him...if you put the tylenol in juice or other liquid you are diluting it therefore rendering it less effective. If you wanted you child well you should have allowed the ER staff to do THEIR JOBS rather than whine about how YOU were treated...it wasn't about YOU it was about your child.

Answer 10

Did the doctor see your baby? She certainly was acting on her own, esp. if the doctor hadn't seen him yet. She should be reported to the Director of nursing and the head of the Hospital. If you told her not to give him tylenol that was your right, not hers, I've never seen a nurse quite that rude and I would certainly turn her in. You should have waited and seen a Doctor for your son, but I can see why you didn't. She crossed over quite a few of your rights, and I hope you don't just let it go. The D.o.N. will speak with her, if shes' already had others complain about her she may lose her job.