37. I SHOULDN’T HAVE TO SAY THIS, BUT FACEBOOK IS NOT A REPUTABLE SOURCE
Pediatric RN. Had a patient with severe status asthmaticus (continual asthma attacks), admitted as an inpatient. A standard treatment for this is albuterol (among other meds, like racemic epinephrine), delivered by a face mask.
The face mask is important to actually get the medicine to the patient – otherwise the patient will get next to no medication and it’s a useless treatment. Typically kids HATE the face mask, struggle and cry, and the parents/staff have to hold their arms and legs to keep them from fighting it.
These parents refused the albuterol treatment, which would help their child breathe and not die, because the kid cried with the face mask on. Patient ended up okay to the extent of my knowledge, but I was floating at the time so I never saw them again.
I do know the physician eventually went against facility protocol and allowed respiratory therapy to do blow by, which means they hold the albuterol a few inches from their face and hope that they get the medicine.
They figured at least they get some medication, however small of an amount, rather than nothing. Had another situation in the neonatal intensive care unit in which parents were refusing a blood transfusion their baby desperately needed to live.
I watched the physician flat out tell them she would take emergency custody of the baby and give the transfusion anyways (which physicians are absolutely allowed to do, at least in GA, if they believe a child will die without the necessary).
The parents agreed after that. Of course the families were always educated about the consequences of their decisions, risks and benefits, etc. Sometimes it’s totally useless because apparently Facebook is more reputable than my degree and the degree of the physician. It can be infuriating.
2172007