These Mott Poll results demonstrate that first aid knowledge and training helps parents feel more confident in their ability to handle common medical situations. In the heat of the moment, parents who take their child directly to the ER may forget to bring the source of possible poisoning, leaving ER providers with limited information to determine the child’s treatment. This is an excellent strategy, as the Poison Control staff can elicit information about the type of medication and direct parents on the appropriate next steps. In the case of a child who may have swallowed medication, 6 in 10 Mott Poll respondents would call Poison Control for advice. It is important for parents to understand clinic policies related to telephone advice, so they don’t waste time in an urgent situation waiting for a provider to return their call. ![]() The child’s usual health care provider is a common source of telephone advice however, not all clinics have trained health professionals answering calls. This is a sound strategy that allows parents to avoid an unnecessary ER visit, but still obtain guidance from a health care professional. Many parents in this Mott Poll indicated that their strategy to handle urgent medical situations would involve calling for advice. Also, the ER is a costly location for care a large bill for emergency care is justified for true emergencies, but perhaps not for minor injuries. For example, a child who is choking would likely see a greater benefit from their parent dislodging the object as quickly as possible, rather than delaying immediate action to drive to the ER. For example, the time spent traveling to the ER may interfere with quick action. While going to the ER may reassure parents that their child is unharmed, there are downsides. Results from this Mott Poll suggest that some parents of young children may be using the ER for common situations that could be handled at home. Sometimes, even with careful monitoring, children experience urgent medical situations, forcing parents to make immediate decisions about administering first aid at home, calling for advice, and/or seeking emergency care. Parents with no first aid training had the least confidence, while parents with first aid training in the past year had the most confidence, in knowing what to do for urgent child health situations.ĭuring early childhood, children become progressively more mobile and curious about their surroundings, but are not yet able to understand and follow rules consistently. Ten percent of parents said they had received first aid training within the past year, 24% had training 1-5 years ago, and 23% had training more than 5 years ago 43% of parents have never had any first aid or medical training. Many parents would call Poison Control (61%), their child’s doctor (25%) and/or 9-1-1 (26%) to get advice, while 32% would immediately take the child to the ER. Immediate responses included trying to remove any pills from the child’s mouth (53%) or making the child throw up (26%). Half of parents were very confident they would know what to do in a situation where their child got into someone’s purse and possibly swallowed medication. Twenty-nine percent would call 9-1-1 if their child was choking, while 8% would take the child directly to the ER. Most parents indicated that their immediate response would be to try to dislodge the object through a combination of tactics, such as the Heimlich maneuver (67%), trying to remove the object with their finger (54%), hitting the child on the back (48%), or turning the child upside down (25%). ![]() Only 48% of parents were very confident they would know what to do if their child was choking. ![]() Five percent of parents would call 9-1-1 for a small burn, while 11% would take their child directly to the ER. The most common response (82%) was to put something on the burn, such as cold water, ice, or first aid cream. For the hypothetical situation in which their young child got a small burn on the arm from a hot pan, most parents (71%) were very confident they would know what to do. Parents were presented with scenarios involving urgent medical situations and asked to rate their confidence that they would know what to do and describe their immediate response if the situation occurred with their child. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health asked a national sample of parents of children age 0-5 years about their decision-making around common medical situations that occur at home. Young children often experience urgent medical situations that require parents to make immediate decisions about providing first aid at home or seeking emergency care.
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