Emergencies can happen when we least expect them. Being trained in CPR and Choking emergencies is required for childcare providers. Parents of children should be advised to attend these trainings also. In the event of an emergency such as a child that has stopped breathing or is choking the childcare provider should act immediately, remain calm, stay with the child, and assess the situation (Robertson, 2010, p. 179).
Scenario One: A Child is Choking
The preschoolers from” Busy Bee Preschool” were on a field trip to the local fruit market when a three-year old was noticed by the educator holding their throat. The educator immediately went to the child to assess the situation. Upon assessing the child the educator noticed that the child was holding cherries in her hand. The educator informed her assistant to dial 911, contact the child’s parent and removing the choking hazard procedures from the first aid kit. The educator remained calm and relied on her training and completed the following steps:
1. Checked the scene for safety.
2. Assessed that the child was unable to speak.
3. Gave 5 back blows.
4. Gave 5 abdominal thrust.
The educator repeated the steps until the cherry was dislodged ("CONSCIOUS CHOKING," n.d.). The assistant oversaw the care of the other children while the educator stayed with the child until emergency personal and the child’s parent arrived on the scene. Upon returning to the preschool the educator completed an incident report.
Scenario Two: A Child is Unresponsive
The preschoolers at the Co-Op Preschool are enjoying recess time when the assistant notices a child laying on the ground near the slide. The assistant went to the child and noticed that the child was unresponsive. One of the child’s peers informed the assistant that the child had fallen off the slide. The assistant immediately called out for the educator in charge. The educator upon arrival of the scene assessed the situation, advised her assistant to call 911 and contact the parents. The educator then completed the following steps.
1. Stayed with the child and remained calm.
2. Advised the 911 operator of the situation.
3. Told the operator that the child was unconscious, unresponsive, the child was on his back, and the child had not taken a breath in the last 10 seconds.
4. Completed a finger sweep to insure there was not a blockage of the airway.
5. The educator then held the nose shut and gave two rescue breaths to the child.
6. Advise the operator that the chest rose with the rescue breaths.
7. Noticing that there was a rise in the chest and the return of a pulse the educator knew that chest compressions were not necessary and continued with the 2 short breaths until emergency personal arrived on the scene ("CPR for Child 8 years and under," 2001-2006).
After the incident was over the educator completed an incident report.
Training and refresher trainings are the only way to help insure providers and parents are prepared for emergency situations. Providers that have an emergency preparedness plan in place informs all that are involved with the care of children know the steps to follow if an emergency should arrive. If an incident should occur the provider needs to review the plan in order to make adjustments to better prepare or eliminate the chance of future emergencies. Whether on a field trip or at the facility a first aid kit kept in an obvious place. The kit should contain essential first aid items, emergency procedures, and important contact information.
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Wendy,
ReplyDeleteAs a Peds ER nurse, there were so many episodes of children coming in after choking on items such as cherries or grapes. We managed to save most of them and did extensive parent teaching on the dangers of certain items that can cause choking. One mother placed a grape at her infants mouth to lick the grape and since the sucking reflex is so strong, the grape became lodged in the babies' throat. The baby survived, but we did have to intubate. After intensive parent teaching on the dangers of choking, the baby went home with mom.