DD just pricked finger in box of used needles at Drs. office

[Anonymous]

I am sorry, op. You need this like a hole in the head! NOT husband's fault. And for the ppks who are being harsh, I am sure that you have never made a mistake! I am sure op and husband are beating themselves up enough about this, so do not make them feel worse.

[Anonymous]

*pp's*

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, but it may not be the Dr. Offices' fault either? There is a standard of reasonable care. Most sharps disposal containers have a lid. The floor ones have a reasonably small hole, and she would've really had to reach. That said, did they offer you antiretroviral prophylaxis? I would request it since you have no idea whose dirty needle it was

I agree. Accidents happen. If you're looking for someone to blame, feel free to call the authorities, and then when you're done, make sure you call social services and report your husband's neglect as well.

My only point is, you can chalk this up to a very scary "lesson learned"... or you can run around trying to make trouble for the doctor's office (which seems to be your inclination). If you're looking to blame someone, there is blame to share. Sorry you and your daughter had to go through this.

It doesn't sound like the OP is "looking for someone to blame" she sounds scared and trying to make sure that everything that should be reported is reported. This is a very scary situation and I will say that I do think a doctor's office that has children as patients should take precautions not to have sharps boxes on the floor of patient rooms...may not be a safety violation, but surely a common sense violation.

I agree.

[Anonymous]

OP, I am so sorry that you are going through this. Thank you for posting, as now I will pay more attention to what is on the floor of my dr's examining room. I hope that your daughter is going to be fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your DH wasn't watching your child. And no, don't try that "it was only for a minute" crap. It took longer that that for her to find it and get her hand stuck in there because those boxes are not meant for someone to stick there hand in.

You should be pissed. At your DH. For begin so freakin careless. A doctor's office is not a playroom and there is no excuse for a 2 yr old to be out of reach or out of sight no matter what the hell he is looking at. T

I doubt the doctor's office legally is at fault.

I don't know. They weren't looking at the doctor's vacation slides. They were looking at x-rays of DH's toddler. Don't you think if you were in a doc's office waiting for x-rays of your toddler and he walked in you would be ultra, laser focused on those results? I can see how this could happen. If they were shooting the shit it would be one thing, I'm sure the DH was super distracted as I was the one time we were looking at x-rays of my baby's. It's not relaxing, it's not fun, and you aren't at your most focused on anything but a diagnosis and prognosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, your DH wasn't watching your child. And no, don't try that "it was only for a minute" crap. It took longer that that for her to find it and get her hand stuck in there because those boxes are not meant for someone to stick there hand in.

You should be pissed. At your DH. For begin so freakin careless. A doctor's office is not a playroom and there is no excuse for a 2 yr old to be out of reach or out of sight no matter what the hell he is looking at. T

I doubt the doctor's office legally is at fault.

I don't know. They weren't looking at the doctor's vacation slides. They were looking at x-rays of OP's DH's toddler. Don't you think if you were in a doc's office waiting for x-rays of your toddler and he walked in you would be ultra, laser focused on those results? I can see how this could happen. If they were shooting the shit it would be one thing, I'm sure the DH was super distracted as I was the one time we were looking at x-rays of my baby's. It's not relaxing, it's not fun, and you aren't at your most focused on anything but a diagnosis and prognosis.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your DH wasn't watching your child. And no, don't try that "it was only for a minute" crap. It took longer that that for her to find it and get her hand stuck in there because those boxes are not meant for someone to stick there hand in.

You should be pissed. At your DH. For begin so freakin careless. A doctor's office is not a playroom and there is no excuse for a 2 yr old to be out of reach or out of sight no matter what the hell he is looking at. T

I doubt the doctor's office legally is at fault.

I don't know. They weren't looking at the doctor's vacation slides. They were looking at x-rays of OP's DH's toddler. Don't you think if you were in a doc's office waiting for x-rays of your toddler and he walked in you would be ultra, laser focused on those results? I can see how this could happen. If they were shooting the shit it would be one thing, I'm sure the DH was super distracted as I was the one time we were looking at x-rays of my baby's. It's not relaxing, it's not fun, and you aren't at your most focused on anything but a diagnosis and prognosis.

Oh and just want to add OF COURSE the doctor's office is at fault. There are protocols for handling needles and they were very clearly in violation here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your DH wasn't watching your child. And no, don't try that "it was only for a minute" crap. It took longer that that for her to find it and get her hand stuck in there because those boxes are not meant for someone to stick there hand in.

You should be pissed. At your DH. For begin so freakin careless. A doctor's office is not a playroom and there is no excuse for a 2 yr old to be out of reach or out of sight no matter what the hell he is looking at. T

I doubt the doctor's office legally is at fault.

I don't know. They weren't looking at the doctor's vacation slides. They were looking at x-rays of OP's DH's toddler. Don't you think if you were in a doc's office waiting for x-rays of your toddler and he walked in you would be ultra, laser focused on those results? I can see how this could happen. If they were shooting the shit it would be one thing, I'm sure the DH was super distracted as I was the one time we were looking at x-rays of my baby's. It's not relaxing, it's not fun, and you aren't at your most focused on anything but a diagnosis and prognosis.

Oh and just want to add OF COURSE the doctor's office is at fault. There are protocols for handling needles and they were very clearly in violation here.

Really? How did they violate the protocols? Having an approved disposal container is protocol.

The husband should have picked up and held onto the child if he did not feel like he was going to be able to watch the child and view the xray.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, I am so sorry that you are going through this. Thank you for posting, as now I will pay more attention to what is on the floor of my dr's examining room. I hope that your daughter is going to be fine.

ditto. i hope nothing is wrong with your LO. to the harsh posters, don't be so sure this could never happen to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, your DH wasn't watching your child. And no, don't try that "it was only for a minute" crap. It took longer that that for her to find it and get her hand stuck in there because those boxes are not meant for someone to stick there hand in.

You should be pissed. At your DH. For begin so freakin careless. A doctor's office is not a playroom and there is no excuse for a 2 yr old to be out of reach or out of sight no matter what the hell he is looking at. T

I doubt the doctor's office legally is at fault.

I don't know. They weren't looking at the doctor's vacation slides. They were looking at x-rays of OP's DH's toddler. Don't you think if you were in a doc's office waiting for x-rays of your toddler and he walked in you would be ultra, laser focused on those results? I can see how this could happen. If they were shooting the shit it would be one thing, I'm sure the DH was super distracted as I was the one time we were looking at x-rays of my baby's. It's not relaxing, it's not fun, and you aren't at your most focused on anything but a diagnosis and prognosis.

Oh and just want to add OF COURSE the doctor's office is at fault. There are protocols for handling needles and they were very clearly in violation here.

How exactly did you come up with that? You clearly have no idea what the protocol is for sharps containers, as they are commonly put on the floor. And there is a difference between disposal containers and childproof containers--they're designed to keep medical professionals from sticking themselves during the disposal, not to keep out small kid's hands.

It is an unfortunate incident, but none of us really know if there was any negligence.

[Anonymous]

New poster here. It's terrible that this happened and I really feel for OP and her DD. However to the comment below, no I don't think it's "obvious" that the doctor's office is at fault or violated any rules.

"Oh and just want to add OF COURSE the doctor's office is at fault. There are protocols for handling needles and they were very clearly in violation here. "

[Anonymous]

I have kids too so I completely understand them wandering/exploring and getting into things at a moment's notice. But a doctor's office is not a place where you can let them do that. With my youngest, if the doctor needs my attention I hold her or she's strapped in her stroller. I don't know how she got so close to the sharps disposal without anyone noticing, let alone getting her hand inside. I'd be much more pissed at my husband for not keeping an eye on her than the doctor's office that didn't do anything wrong.

Since the office didn't break any protocol (since they're allowed to be on the floor), I'm not sure what you'd want to report? Unless you just want them to do away with sharps containers that are on the floor everywhere.

[Anonymous]

I'm sorry this happened OP. That sounds awful. I will say that our doctor's offices are completely child proofed in terms of things like that. I will also say that I would never let my child play around with a sharp's container. Things happen fast, but if I was watching an xray, I would have picked up my child. I never let him "get into things" unless I know for a fact there's nothing to get into.

I think you should simply talk to your doctor's office and ask them if they can remove the sharps containers from the kids' rooms and tell them that you want assurance that it will never happen again. I don't know why you feel the need to report them. Seems a bit weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have kids too so I completely understand them wandering/exploring and getting into things at a moment's notice. But a doctor's office is not a place where you can let them do that. With my youngest, if the doctor needs my attention I hold her or she's strapped in her stroller. I don't know how she got so close to the sharps disposal without anyone noticing, let alone getting her hand inside. I'd be much more pissed at my husband for not keeping an eye on her than the doctor's office that didn't do anything wrong.

Since the office didn't break any protocol (since they're allowed to be on the floor), I'm not sure what you'd want to report? Unless you just want them to do away with sharps containers that are on the floor everywhere.

This post is the most sensible I have read on this thread. PP below...this was NOT a pediatrician or physicians office. It was an orthopedic doctor. So sure, you can fully think that at a ped they will be more privy to having a waste container on the floor, but at an orthopedic office I do not see how this is unlawful.

[Anonymous]

OOps meant pp above (14:20)