They just made me hold my child down for a shot in vermont and I asked to hold her she said no for safety reasons. I’m not happy. This is the second time . What do I do
Hello - We are so sorry this happened to you and your little one. We would encourage you to educate yourself as much as possible, and also to share our resources with your provider so they can learn more about safer alternatives. First, watch this video resource to help re-frame this experience for your child: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-lvCabG6_ekI.html Next, read this guide on comfort positions and share it with your provider. This guide shows you how to keep kids safe, and help them feel supported, during medical procedures. www.megfoundationforpain.org/2023/03/14/comfort-positions-a-guide-for-parents-and-healthcare-professionals/ This blog post, from a health psychologist (our CEO), also explains why holding down children for shots can be harmful. This is a good read for both you and your provider: www.megfoundationforpain.org/articles/can-holding-children-down-for-shots-traumatize-them-a-health-psychologist-says-yes/ You can also direct them to our provider page, where we have a guide for healthcare professionals as well as the research to back it up: www.megfoundationforpain.org/for-providers/ Lastly, our Pain Champions Guide talks about how you can talk to your provider about these issues. It includes exact language as well as a place for you to enter their email so we can send them resources: painchampions.comfortquest.io/ We sincerely hope you are able to have a good conversation with your healthcare team and use comfort positioning in the future!
Great videos! I am a nurse in a pediatric primary care office. We have always used the same techniques you recommend. The problem I run in to most often is the parent does not securely hold the child in those recommended positions, especially when the child is combative and fighting the parent. This causes extreme chaos and a potential safety issue to the nurse, parent and child. If a parent of an adolescent or teen can not safely hold their child, I will not give the immunization. There is only so much time for therapeutic discussions within an appointment, so what do you suggest in these instances?
GREAT question Melissa! We also believe that safety should be the primary issue. The situation you are describing captures why good prep is key. A plan made ahead of time and with the consent and collaboration of the teen is so important. They have to be on board, and practice what they want to have happen, with the collaboration of the parent and amazing practitioners like yourself. Using our digital tools like the Take Control App for teens or the SuperMeg Poke Planner for kids, or the downloadable poke plans help that conversation happen with the family before they even walk into the office, which makes it much easier on you when do walk in the door. We recommend you send them with appointment reminders, etc, so they are feeling more prepped before they even show up. With older kids and teens, if at all possible, it can be extremely helpful to have them come into the office on a day they will NOT be getting the shot to practice. Doing this helps everyone feel practiced and prepped, let's the patient know how much you support them, and gives them a chance to have a positive experience before taking on the challenge on the poke itself. It also gives you a chance to coach the parents on comfort positioning, etc when everyone is more calm so they can walk into the procedure appointment feeling much more comfortable and in control.
