"ED experience"

I recently attended Broome Hospital with my young child who was experiencing difficulty breathing along with other respiratory symptoms. We arrived late at night and were triaged quickly through the isolation zone in ED. My child was subsequently diagnosed with a chest infection and given the appropriate medication and we were sent home. I left hospital feeling positive with the interaction I had with all staff involved - the nurses and Dr assigned to us were kind, compassionate and thorough in their assessment and treatment. The staff asked us to represent in the morning to just give my child another once over to make sure they had improved as we were due to travel.

I am disappointed to say that the second interaction the next morning could not have been more opposite. When I presented to ED in the morning, I explained that we had been in the night before, had been diagnosed and begun treatment for a chest infection, and then asked to come back before we travelled. When we were called through, the clinician who greeted us was completely gowned up (fine, I understand that is a requirement given the times we live in) and holding a swab in their hand. They asked why we had presented and I repeated the details I had given the triage nurse, which at the time made me question whether they had actually read the notes left in my child’s chart?

The clinician immediately asked me to consent to giving my child a swab. I declined and I felt their tone completely changed. I was spoken to in a manner that to me felt demeaning, condescending and aggressive. The clinician asked me to explain why I would decline and when I said that I thought it was unnecessary because we already had a diagnosis of chest infection and I felt it would be traumatic to my child, they subjected me to a lecture that I felt bordered on intimidation and coercion. I think they had already decided my child would be swabbed before they had even bothered to find out the details of my child's case given they were holding the swab in their hand before we had even entered the room.

The clinician made me feel belittled and I felt as though they were not respecting my right to consent to medical treatment on behalf of my child. I am not against having the swabs done, but I think it was not logical in our circumstance to give one and that it was just being done for statistical purposes.