At home and in schools, childhood accidents happen. It is important to be aware of what you can do should accidents happen. Coping with childhood emergencies is a must to make sure that the children under your care or under your roof are attended to immediately during accidents.
Here are some common childhood emergencies and what you can do to manage them:
The first is a fractured arm. Childhood is a time for play. The children cannot help but engage in various physical activities without really minding whether the activities would be safe for them or not. For example, climbing trees, doing somersaults, wrestling with one another, tumbling here and there, mimicking action stars, and many other physically involved activities.
These actions are done regardless whether the child is a boy or a girl, although boys do more of such mentioned plays. Fractured arm is inevitable in such cases. In such cases, it is very helpful to have an adult around to supervise kids during play time. In such emergencies, it is crucial to bring the child immediately to the nearest emergency room or orthopaedic clinic so that prompt treatment may be given to him or her.
The child’s arm will be in a sling most probably or casted whichever is more appropriate. While the bone will get healed in time, the arm will not be as good as before, use wise. What is more important is that it was given immediate action so an adult who takes charge of the situation is crucial in this scenario.
The next one is dog bite. While it is comforting to know that pet owners now a days are more conscious of taking care of their pets, especially dogs, making sure their dogs have anti-rabies, being bitten by a dog is still a great concern. Again, rush the child to the hospital for injection. This is a highly considered emergency and whether the dog who bit the child has anti-rabies or not, ensuring that the child receives his doses is very vital.
Of course, there are other childhood accidents a kid can encounter. However, the most pressing point is that never allow a child to play without an adult near enough to be called upon during emergencies. Taking the child to an emergency room without panicking is the first and foremost the wisest action to take.
References:
Brucnhwick, R. (2011). Your Child and His Emergencies. New York Publishing
Madison, O. (2015). Children and Safety. ISBN. 090377689. Retrieved on March 2, 2016.
Silva, D. (2012). Responding to Childhood Emergencies. Mayo Clinic Health Letter. Retrieved on February 12, 2015 at http://childhood_emergencies_mayoclinic.pdf.int.com.
By: Larah May Dela Rosa | Nurse II | DepED Bataan
