Asked about vacinations in the ER

[rahans]

I had to take my toddler to the ER over the weekend for a nasty cut he received from a fall. I was out of state and surprised that I was asked if he was up to date on all his vacinations. How do you answer this question? Is it any of their business? I was not prepared to answer this question - I've been to my local ER before and have never been asked it.
Just want to prepared if there is a next time - can I simply tell them it is irrelevant?

[mommathea]

Originally Posted by rahans

I had to take my toddler to the ER over the weekend for a nasty cut he received from a fall. I was out of state and surprised that I was asked if he was up to date on all his vacinations. How do you answer this question? Is it any of their business? I was not prepared to answer this question - I've been to my local ER before and have never been asked it.
Just want to prepared if there is a next time - can I simply tell them it is irrelevant?

I have always replied with a sweet smile that we don't vax - and every time the subject has been dropped right there.
I feel it is pruden to truthfuly especialy depending on why you take you child in they won't test for vaxed diseases unless they know the child is not up to date.
We have never been harrased, or given a dirty look, and several times have been quietly praised for not vaxing.

[fruitfulmomma]

The two times I've been, I wasn't asked once and other time I just told them we were refusing them for now and nothing more was said.

If they were concerned about Tetanus, because it was a cut, you should have been offered the immunoglobulin (Tig).

[JL83]

For a cut it makes perfect sense. If you were to vax, it would let them know whether or not a tetanus shot was needed.

It's a completely relevant piece of medical information.

[mysticmomma]

Originally Posted by JL83

It's a completely relevant piece of medical information.

:

It's just like asking about allergies and medications.

[CrunchyChristianMama]

I wouldn't mind answering, I don't see why they didn't just ask about Tetanus though.

You could always reply that you are as up to date as you have chosen to be and ask why they wish to know.

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by Evie's Mama

You could always reply that you are as up to date as you have chosen to be and ask why they wish to know.

Don't talk cryptic. Just be honest.

These people are working with a bloody wound, and eve gloves aren't enough 100% of the time. Their asking is also for the protection of the workers. They aren't going to force-vax, and if anyone judges, contact administration.

[lalaland42]

I'm sure they wanted to know because of tetanus. Lying to your health care provider about health care information is just a bad idea IMO. If you don't vax or delay, just say so.

[katelove]

I am an ED nurse in Australia. It is a completely resonable question and one I always ask.

The reasons are
- it is part of collecting a complete medical history
- it may be directly relevant to the current presentation
- it is a record for nexxt time the person presents to ED, if they are not capable of givng us a history then at least we have something to go on

The reason I ask "fully vaccinated" rather than about specific vaccines is because not everyone knows exactly what vaccinations they/their child has had. If they say they are fully vaccinated for their age then I know what they've had. The other reason is because I am collecting a complete history rather than focussing solely on the presenting problem.

I can't speak for all my colleagues but, for me, it has nothing to do with judgement and my personal opinion and everything to do with providing the best care I can.

Hope that helps to clarify for you

[Turquesa]

Chiming in with another perspective. I can't find it right now, but somebody once posted a link from some professional medical organization encouraging health care workers to take advantage of ER visits to make sure that children were up to date on all vaccinations. It was simply one more way to try to "remind" people or talk them into it, much like those little postcards you might get in the mail.

[Magali]

I had a situation like this for myself not to long ago. I haven't had a tetanus booster in over 10 years. I told the ER straight up. Because if there was a concern that my wound was a tetanus risk (which I knew there wasn't) I would want the proper treatment. Of course, the proper treatment of a wound at risk for tetanus in an unvaccinated person is not the tetanus vaccine, but the TIG. So when the doctor started in on the whole "you need a tetanus vaccine", I poilitley told him that I wanted to take care of the wound at hand, and no tetanus vaccine was necessary at that time.

[Magali]

Originally Posted by Turquesa

Chiming in with another perspective. I can't find it right now, but somebody once posted a link from some professional medical organization encouraging health care workers to take advantage of ER visits to make sure that children were up to date on all vaccinations. It was simply one more way to try to "remind" people or talk them into it, much like those little postcards you might get in the mail.

I have heard this too. Not to long ago I went to see a doctor about fertility issues and she tried to vax me for tetanus .

[Marcimama]

I had a similar situation that wasn't so easily dropped... in fact, my dh was pushed into a corner by a red faced nurse and not only questioned, but the nurse said, "If you were concerned at all about your child you'd vaccinate her." My dh was very polite and calm and said, "I am really confused what vaccine could have provented this, or what you think she needs." Given that she was dehydrated from the stomach flu. They refused to release her on account that "We just don't know what she could possible have... so we'll have to keep her the night because she could have any number of serious diseases..." I was livid! We went with it and it was ok, but honestly I was very very scared and completely enraged! I know it is their job to "keep every one safe" and to remind you of that, but there is a line and that ER crossed it... we won't ever go back there... we've found another ER that is much better.

Be honest, but don't let them push you around. It isn't right.

[chattyprincess]

Yep, we are always asked in the er. As someone else said its a perfectly standard question to ask to get a complete medical history. I think there is a 100% difference in politely asking in order to get it put in the childs er records and shoving someone in a corner and screaming!
It is a question that is the standard 20 or so for the triage nurse to ask. Also if your child was ill then its perfectly valid. In north america most docs first thoughts with a sick child is not that they have rubella/measles etc but something else. If they know the child is not vaxed they are able to think about it differently.
It is always important to have a complete medical history, what if you all had been in a car wreck and were unconcious? hopefully they would be able to find a complete medical history for the whole family to rely on to treat all of you!
~Kate

[Noelle C.]

Originally Posted by Marcimama

I had a similar situation that wasn't so easily dropped... in fact, my dh was pushed into a corner by a red faced nurse and not only questioned, but the nurse said, "If you were concerned at all about your child you'd vaccinate her." My dh was very polite and calm and said, "I am really confused what vaccine could have provented this, or what you think she needs." Given that she was dehydrated from the stomach flu. They refused to release her on account that "We just don't know what she could possible have... so we'll have to keep her the night because she could have any number of serious diseases..." I was livid! We went with it and it was ok, but honestly I was very very scared and completely enraged! I know it is their job to "keep every one safe" and to remind you of that, but there is a line and that ER crossed it... we won't ever go back there... we've found another ER that is much better.

Be honest, but don't let them push you around. It isn't right.

I hope you contacted the state board. They were essentially abducting your child to try to coerce you into vaxing. Having a vax does NOT mean there is a 100% chance someone can't get it, and for that nurse/hospital to suggest that is dangerous. They're clearly willing to overlook symptoms of a disease as long as someone has had a vax.

[Marnica]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

[COLOR="Magenta"]I hope you contacted the state board. They were essentially abducting your child to try to coerce you into vaxing. Having a vax does NOT mean there is a 100% chance someone can't get it, and for that nurse/hospital to suggest that is dangerous. They're clearly willing to overlook symptoms of a disease as long as someone has had a vax.[/COLOR]

This is what I don't get. When DS was about 7 months old he had a fever that lasted a few days so I called the ped. The nurse on the phone told me something was going around and to give it another day or two and if the fever didn't go away to call back. She didn't sound concerned. My cell phone rang 2 minutes later and she said "I see you don't vaccinate, you must bring him in ASAP!!!" all of a sudden it was a emergency. I asked why she was so concerned and she said well it could be a sign of a serious illness. I said that I imagined that it could be a sign of serious illness in a vaccinated child as well, being that serious illness can result from dozens and dozens of things we don't vaccinate for AND because not all vaccines are 100% effective anyway if it happened to be from a infectious diease that there WAS a vaccine for.
I told her that I would expect that all children would be evaluated equally based on their symptoms and to assume that a vaccinated child was in the clear simply because they were vaccinated could be a dangerous assumption and that similarly to assume that an unvaccinated child was deathly ill simply because he was not vaccinated could lead to unnessecary painful medical tests (ie a spinal tap).

Anyway I did not bring him in, and his fever went away the following day. I have since found another practice.

[Magali]

YES to all of the above!!!!

[RomanCarmelMom]

I tell them we're not up to date since we selectively vaccinate.

If you're not going to vaccinate, or if you're going to selectively vaccinate, be confident in your decision and that you're doing what's best for your child. If you are worried about being interrogated or pushed by ER staff, print out a vaccine cheat sheet that you keep in your car, purse, or diaper bag that you can reference in those situations. If you lie or seem uncertain when you answer them, they might pick up on that and try to push you to vax.

[Fyrestorm]

Originally Posted by chattyprincess

Yep, we are always asked in the er. As someone else said its a perfectly standard question to ask to get a complete medical history. I think there is a 100% difference in politely asking in order to get it put in the childs er records and shoving someone in a corner and screaming!

Then why as an adult have I NEVER been asked my vaccine status? Not even tetanus...they just assumed I would need one with a cut that needed to be stitched.

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Every single time I have taken mine to the ER I have been asked and my answer always looks like this guy
The reasons are because:

1) I have read stories and heard about cps being called if you say no.

2) it is irrelevant (every time I have taken them in I knew what was wrong so I had no worry about a vpd) because I have no intention of allowing them to do a vax (I would only consider TIG and since I have never taken either one in for a wound it has never came up) so whats the point it telling them I dont and then have to argue about it.

3) by telling them I dont vax this could lead to unneeded tests because they freak out about the child who "gasp" isnt vaxed. Since I have never told them we dont vax it is a non issue and I dont have to worry about being talked down to or possibly having cps on my doorstep.

If I thought that they had something that was a supposed vpd I would tell them we didnt vax because otherwise they may fail to test for it. But that has never been an issue to date.

IMO there are times when you should tell and times when it dosnt matter.

Should tell if the child is sick and you have no idea why.
No need to tell for a broken bone or an illness that you know the cause of.