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Care Opinion

Blood in stools

Posted By homamqe35

"Blood in stools"

About: Perth Children's Hospital / Emergency Department

(as a parent/guardian),

Visit to PCH for my toddler with abdominal pain and blood in stools. On arrival given a urine pot for a sample and told to sit and wait. 3hrs later I asked how long the wait is as when we originally arrived it was 1hr wait. I recall they said oh there's a lot of kids with coughs so it's a long wait. I said is a cough more important than a child pooing blood. To which they asked when did my child last have a bloody stool and I said literally just now while here and they asked for the sample of it. I said you never asked me on entry for a stool sample you asked for urine so I don't have one. They were like oh we need one and gave me a pot. I'm like my child's not going to poo for like 24hrs now and it seemed they just shrugged it off. I asked what their complaints contact was and they didn't know and eventually gave me a piece of paper you can write in and post off. 

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Responses

Response from Child and Adolescent Health Service - WA 10 months ago
Child and Adolescent Health Service - WA

Submitted on 14/06/2023 at 2:53 PM
Published on Care Opinion at 3:05 PM

Dear homamqe35

Thank you for sharing your story about your experience in the Emergency Department (ED) at Perth Children’s Hospital when you presented with your toddler with abdominal pain and blood in their stools.

I understand this must have been a very worrying time for you. I am sorry that you had a long wait in the ED and were not supported by staff to raise your concerns. I apologise that the staff member was not familiar with the complaints policy and process and would like to assure you that this has been addressed.

I acknowledge your concerns about the wait time in ED. All children presenting to the ED are assessed based on their clinical condition and the history provided by the parent or carer. Blood in stools can be from several causes and children will be assessed for any clinical deterioration. Children with coughs can present with an airway problem, and in conjunction with other airway symptoms, may indicate an emergent problem that requires prompt attention. Presentations are unpredictable and wait times in the ED will change depending upon the emergency nature of presenting patients.

Nurses monitor all children in the waiting areas for ongoing concerns and escalate patient care if there is any concern involving patient deterioration.

Obtaining urine and stool samples from children can be very challenging, and I understand that clear communication assists with timely collection. I’m sorry that this was not the case during your child’s visit.

I would welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns in more detail. If you are open to us further investigating the care that was provided, please contact our Consumer Liaison service on 6456 0032 or email CAHSFeedback@health.wa.gov.au. We can then provide you with the specific details of your child’s case and elaborate on any concerns you may have.

Thank you again for sharing your experience and bringing your concerns to my attention. I hope that your child’s health has improved since you shared your story.

Kind regards,

Acting Nurse Co-Director, Medicine Division
Child and Adolescent Health Service
Perth Children's Hospital

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