TOP TIPS

Work Place CPR and First Aid Training – You have to do CPR Yearly, First Aid 3 yearly, and the reason for that is so you remember it!

Fever! What does a fever a mean?

• It essentially a fever above 38 degree Celsius, which means you or your child is sick

• It’s the first step of the immune system to kick in and fight that infection.

• The best way to check a fever in a child under the age of 6 months is a digital thermometer under the arm

• 6 months old + you should use a tympanic thermometer in the ear canal

• Infrared Thermometer (swipe across the forehead) has been suggested as inaccurate in adults and children
  

The red flags of illness are:

• Alertness and irritability – Review what you’re seeing. Are they drowsy? Are they crying more or less than normal? Are they in pain, even after having pain relief? If they are running around or a little more tired than usual this is ok. A floppy drowsy baby is a medical emergency call 000 for help.

• Fever – a fever is normal in illness and is the first part of the immune system kicking into gear. When we worry about a fever is if the child is less than 12 weeks of age, or if the child has had a fever for longer than 48 hours and is not improving or getting worse, or if the child has a fever at the same time as having a rash.

• If your child has their first febrile convulsion call 000 to talk through options over the phone. Only 3% of children are susceptible to febrile convulsions, they cannot be prevented, and they do not cause any harm.

• Breathing difficulties – Do they look distressed? Are they working hard to breath when at rest? Are they sucking in around their ribs these are signs your child might be having breathing difficulties? If you are concerned head to your GP, hospital or 000 but also know that breathing difficulties requires the support of steroids to open airways, which need to be prescribed.

• Dehydration – ensure your child is well hydrated encourage more feeds or water in older children. If your child is showing signs of dehydration which would be less than half the amount of fluid out (think less than half the number of wet nappies in 24 hours) or half the amount of fluid in, it is best to be seen by a doctor.

• Rash – a post viral rash can be normal in children; it often appears as the child is improving and feeling better. Some rashes are contagious such as Hand Foot and Mouth and you may need to see a GP to find out when they can return to care. When we worry about a rash is if it is purple/pink spots and non-blanching. A non-blanching rash is a medical emergency, and your child needs to be taken to the nearest paediatric emergency department.

• Remember to always trust your gut you know your child better than anyone. If you are worried seek help from a medical professional.
  

Recognising Illness is never about diagnosing your child because that’s the Doctor’s job! You just need to understand when they are not well, and what to look out for!

Hand Sanitiser Versus Hand Wash! If your hands are visibly soiled from a sneeze, vomit or anything else…SOAP AND WATER IS GOLD STANDARD! Sanitiser is only for smaller incidental moments such as touching the escalator or using a shared space such as a supermarket trolly etc.

DRSABCD is a cognitive aid and stands for Danger, Response, Send, Airway, Breathing, CPR, Defibrillation. Each of these is a step – often quite a detailed step – that prompt what should be applied when providing first aid.

Minor Burns – Remove any clothing that surrounds the burn, apply 20 mins of cold running water. If there is no cold running water, you can use what you have access to. The reason we like cold running water is because it remains at the same temperature. If we use a bucket of water the burn will cause the temperature of the water to rise and will be less effective. We do not use ice as it will constrict the surrounding vessels and affect the healing of the burn. After cooling cover the burn with a non-stick dressing. Burns that need to be seen are any burn greater than 3cm, with blisters, burns to the hands, feet, face, or genitals or circumferential (around the whole limb). Call 000 if your child has any inhalation or airway burns.

Understanding Croup

• Croup is common in children under 5 years of age and is the swelling and narrowing of the child’s airway and voice box which is why your child suddenly sound like a barking seal.

• Croup is caused by respiratory viruses and will only affect some children. It is for this reason you cannot “catch” croup, instead you might catch the RSV that caused the child to develop croup.

• Croup is often worse at night and early morning when it is cold.

• If your child has croup it is recommended to help keep them calm to improve their breathing. If your child’s is showing signs of respiratory distress, you can take them to your local paediatric hospital for review.

• Croup sometimes requires steroid support to help open the airways. This would be prescribed by your GP or local hospital.

• If your child regularly suffers severe bouts of croup, your family with the severity of symptoms, it’s worth keeping a current script from your GP or the steroid stored in the fridge to try before attempting a late night hospital visit

• There is a new Australian online service https://www.instantscripts.com.au/ that books you a ASAP telehealth with a GP, that if agreed with the GP, they can send the script straight to your phone.
  

Other Helpful Resources:

Instant Scripts – Can be helpful when you know what is required for you or your child, but would like to avoid travelling with sick children or can’t get quick access to an in person GP appointment. 

Nurse On Call – For the late nights when you need to walk through with a registered nurse the scenario and assistance in making an assessment and plan. Call 1300 60 60 24.

Royal Children’s Hospital – Kids Health Information is a suite of resources created by The Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne and is dedicated to providing quality, accurate and easy to understand health information.