"ED experience"

I am writing regarding my experience with a doctor in the Emergency Department recently.

I brought my young child to ED after they fell and injured their foot. My child had been unable to weightbear for over six hours, was very upset and was crying and complaining when their foot was touched. I was concerned that they may have sustained an injury requiring assessment.

I would first like to acknowledge that the nursing staff were wonderful. They were kind, attentive and very caring throughout our visit.

Unfortunately, my experience with this doctor was very different. While I was explaining what had happened, I felt they interrupted me and made assumptions before I had been able to properly explain the injury. When my child crawled across the bed, the doctor stated that my child's foot "looked fine" and was "mechanically fine", despite not physically examining or touching the injured foot.

When I attempted to get my child to stand so their ability to weightbear could be assessed, my child refused because they were upset and appeared to be in pain. the doctor responded, your child's not going to perform for you now. I found this comment extremely dismissive and inappropriate. I was not asking my child to perform; I was trying to demonstrate that my child was unable to weightbear, which was the reason I had brought them to ED.

I then requested an X-ray. The doctor initially told me they would not do one because radiation "accumulates." After questioning this and asking whether an ultrasound was possible, they eventually agreed to the X-ray, appearing frustrated that I had requested it.

The X-ray was performed and we were told it was fine and that we could leave. Another nurse later asked whether my child had been able to walk. When I showed the nurse, they could see that my child was still limping and appeared sore. They advised that the X-ray would receive a formal report and that we would be contacted if there were any concerns.

I want to be clear that I am not complaining because the X-ray was normal. I am relieved that there was no obvious fracture. My concern is the way my concerns were dismissed and the lack of an appropriate physical assessment before I had to repeatedly advocate for my child.

This is my third child, and I would not bring my child to an Emergency Department or push for an X-ray without genuine concern. I understand that doctors are under pressure and that not every injury requires imaging, but I believe parents should be listened to and treated respectfully when advocating for their child's health.

I went to the front counter to ask how to formally complain they didn't know how but provided me with a pamphlet. When i asked if they had the phone number, email or mailing address (because those sections were blank) they told me to give it a google and i would figure it out so I'm still unsure on how to actually complain!

I would appreciate this complaint being formally investigated, including a review of the medical records, the assessment performed by the doctor and the communication provided to me during the consultation.