USMLE Forums banner

ethics q...can we remove child from parents when suspecting child abuse ?

2K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  tyagee 
#1 ·
You are a resident in the emergency department. An irate parent comes to you furious because the social worker has been asking him about striking his child. The child is a
5-year-old boy who has been in the emergency department four times this year with
several episodes of trauma that did not seem related. Today, the child is brought in
with a child complaint of "slipping into a hot bathtub" with a burn wound on h"
legs. The parent threatens to sue you and says "How dare you think that about me' I
love my son!"
What should you do?
a. Give reassurance to the parents and treat the patient's injury appropriately.
b. Ask risk management to evaluate the case.
c. Admit the child to remove him from the possibly dangerous environment.
d. Call the police.
e. Ask the father yourself if there has been any abuse.
f. Speak to the wife privately about possible episodes of abuse.
g. Explain to the parents that the next time this happens you will have to call child
protective services.
h. Report the family to child protective services.
i. Give the parents a referral to a family therapist they can see with the child the
following week.
 
See less See more
#3 ·
here is the order you do things in case of child abuse
1-- treat the child
2- ask nurse to stay back with child (with or without parents) and leave
3- report case to Child protective services
4- NOW THAT THE CASE IS REPORTED you can remove the child from the parents care without any problem
5- if Protective services is unable to place the child elsewhere immediately- admitting the child in the hospital is the next step.

in this question --- "the social worker has been asking him about striking his child." so they have already been notified.

i would go with
c. Admit the child to remove him from the possibly dangerous environment.
 
#5 ·
I vaguely remember Daugherty's lecture where he mentions that you physically remove the child from the parents after informing that it has been reported to the CPS for suspected child abuse which you are legally required to do.
 
#6 ·
this is as-is explanation.

(h) Report the family to child protective services.
Although. in general, it is better to address issues directly with patients and their
families, this is not the case when you strongly suspect child abuse. Reporting of child
abuse is mandatory even based on suspicion alone. Although it is frightening to be
confrontational with the family, the caregiver is legally protected even if there turns
out to be no abuse as long as the report was made honestly and without malice. You
do not have the authority to remove the child from the custody of the parents. Only
child protective services or the courts can do that. The police would be appropriate
for an assault happening at that exact moment, but the police are not appropriate to
investigate child abuse. When you have a suspicion of child abuse, it doesn't matter
what the parents say. That is why talking directly to the mother or father is incorrect.
When you suspect abuse, even if the family denies it, you must still report.
see that red line above.this is from conrad ethics book !

thoughts ?:p
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top