Clorox and DFACS

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I have a 2nd grader in my office waiting for pick up as we speak. Apparently, last night he stepped on a nail - three puncture wounds in the bottom of his foot - and grandma "put Clorox in a bowl and had me put my foot in it, so it's ok now". Um...WT actual F?

I've called mom and told her he needs to be picked up and seen by a doctor to ensure proper treatment and update his tetorifice if needed.

:banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead:

UPDATE

After meeting grandma, DFACs is being called. Just don't have the warm fuzzies about the possibility of him actually going to the doctor.

Specializes in kids.
Hi, all - your topic here in the School Nurse forum caught my eye on the sidebar and kind of piqued my curiosity - - does DFACS normally follow these types of situations pretty closely? I'm in the ED and I've had them flat out decline to take my report on a couple of issues of similar intensity - they just weren't interested, wouldn't even give me a log # (I wasn't too enthusiastic about reporting these particular things in the first place but was compelled by other factors). Does this child not have records indicating UTD immunizations, or is the main concern the less-than-stellar bleach intervention or....?

And as you know, we are all mandated to report so...

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Specializes in School Nursing.
Hi, all - your topic here in the School Nurse forum caught my eye on the sidebar and kind of piqued my curiosity - - does DFACS normally follow these types of situations pretty closely? I'm in the ED and I've had them flat out decline to take my report on a couple of issues of similar intensity - they just weren't interested, wouldn't even give me a log # (I wasn't too enthusiastic about reporting these particular things in the first place but was compelled by other factors). Does this child not have records indicating UTD immunizations, or is the main concern the less-than-stellar bleach intervention or....?

I have filed 2 CPS reports this year. Neither resulted in an investigation. I can always file a report. Doesn't mean CPS actually does anything with it but I've always gotten an answer back letting me know they aren't investigating.

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Specializes in Emergency Department.
I have a 2nd grader in my office waiting for pick up as we speak. Apparently, last night he stepped on a nail - three puncture wounds in the bottom of his foot

One nail and three puncture wounds? Yeech! :wideyed:

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Specializes in kids.
I have filed 2 CPS reports this year. Neither resulted in an investigation. I can always file a report. Doesn't mean CPS actually does anything with it but I've always gotten an answer back letting me know they aren't investigating.

SO Frustrating

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I'll be surprised if anything is done about this. I've had to call CPS frequently, but I don't know if I would have considered this abuse or neglect.

The wound was treated... even if it wasn't the way we would have preferred. Unless they are claiming religious exempt , the child would be up to date on tetorifice.

Now if junior develops s/s of an infection and appropriate care is not sought, then I would call.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.

Just to put this in perspective, if you have swam in a pool, you have put yourself in bleach water, unless salt water or mineral cleaned.

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My mom has diabetic ulcers and her podiatrist has us Dakins. It does work well.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.
Just to put this in perspective, if you have swam in a pool, you have put yourself in bleach water, unless salt water or mineral cleaned.

Reminds me ... When I was a kid ... Mom would have us soak in the bath tub with some Clorox thrown into the water when we had poison ivy. It would dry it out. An alternative was to swim in a heavily chlorinated pool. Swimming and soaking in Clorox was a standard treatment for poison ivy back then.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).

I was wondering what the ethnic background of the family is. Culturally many Hispanic people have

traditionally used diluted bleach solutions for cleaning wounds. Bear in min that Clorox Laundry bleach

is only 10% bleach and if she diluted it further it probably did no harm and may have actually disinfected

the wound. If the child was in 2nd grade they would be like 7 years old and would have had a TDAP

which would be on file in the school office. I don't know that I would have called DCFS over this. But to each

mandated reported must report what they feel is reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect.

Hppy

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
Reminds me ... When I was a kid ... Mom would have us soak in the bath tub with some Clorox thrown into the water when we had poison ivy. It would dry it out. An alternative was to swim in a heavily chlorinated pool. Swimming and soaking in Clorox was a standard treatment for poison ivy back then.

I still do it.

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Specializes in School nursing.
I was wondering what the ethnic background of the family is. Culturally many Hispanic people have

traditionally used diluted bleach solutions for cleaning wounds. Bear in min that Clorox Laundry bleach

is only 10% bleach and if she diluted it further it probably did no harm and may have actually disinfected

the wound. If the child was in 2nd grade they would be like 7 years old and would have had a TDAP

which would be on file in the school office. I don't know that I would have called DCFS over this. But to each

mandated reported must report what they feel is reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect.

Hppy

Tdap is typically given around age 12. At 7, hopefully this child is up to date on their DTap or DTP series.

That being said, I do wonder after three puncture wounds and not following up with a doctor, bleach or no bleach (though, foot in a bucket of undiluted bleach...). Puncture wounds from a nail can be nasty things and if they were deep, they may just need to follow for education on how to properly care for such wounds. How were they dressed?

Sometimes our spidey senses tingle after working with some families; we ride that line between calling for possible neglect or not. We are mandated if we think it could be neglect. And it is frustrating. I have filed, knowing I needed to, hoping it would at least open up some type of follow-up into a student's living situation and nope, nothing happens.

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Specializes in IMC, school nursing.
Tdap is typically given around age 12. At 7, hopefully this child is up to date on their DTap or DTP series.

That being said, I do wonder after three puncture wounds and not following up with a doctor, bleach or no bleach (though, foot in a bucket of undiluted bleach...). Puncture wounds from a nail can be nasty things and if they were deep, they may just need to follow for education on how to properly care for such wounds. How were they dressed?

Sometimes our spidey senses tingle after working with some families; we ride that line between calling for possible neglect or not. We are mandated if we think it could be neglect. And it is frustrating. I have filed, knowing I needed to, hoping it would at least open up some type of follow-up into a student's living situation and nope, nothing happens.

I stepped on a nail at school. The look on that nurse's face when I came in was priceless! She did little to no care except calling my mom and telling her to take me to my doctor. This was the 70's, pre-lawyers. I believe that was the only time I visited the nurse in elementary school.

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