We had this child with respiratory problems, and could not breathe. Under protocol, we call parents first and let them know what's going on. Mom didn't answer, so I called grandma. Grandma came, and she could see the kid could not breathe. We finally got a hold of mom, but she would not be here for more than 45 minutes. It was past 30 minutes since the child came to my clinic and I felt it was necessary to call 911, because she was still having difficulty breathing, I had her on the nebulizer and she could not speak to me. I kept urging the grandmother that we need to call 911, because she can't breathe, but she kept insisting to wait for mom and that it's just asthma and because she has this (And she smells like cigarettes) she knows what's up, and to wait.
The principal and I had enough after an hour of this child not able to breathe and we called 911, the grandmother was pissed, but I was so mad, I didn't hold back. I explained to the grandmother, in the most civilized way that her granddaughter is having difficulty breathing, her mother is not here. You are not her guardian, you have no custody of this child. As of right now, she's under my responsibility and I would rather call 911 to make sure she's okay than wait for her mother. I know it's insurance issues, but please cooperate with us. Right when 911 came, mom came. Grabbed daughter and left, didn't need 911 help. Which is fine because the parent was there, but I told my principal we need to make a protocol that if this happens again, and parent is far from child, we need to call 911 after x minutes, because this took too long.
The child is fine, she was diagnosed with asthma and needs an inhaler, so that's established, but I was worried, what if it was worse? And that time frame could of harmed her. My question, how long should we wait? I would say 15 minutes at least if it's an emergency.
