I took my 4-year-old daughter for her physical the day after her birthday. Since she will be entering kindergarten next year, she needed some vaccines (MMR, varicella, DTaP, and IPV) and a PPD (purified protein derivative) skin test for tuberculosis (TB). I was prepared to bring her back to the office in 2 days (usually 48-72 hours after being placed) to have her forearm read, but was told by the nurse that I just have to call an extension and leave a message. Did I make a face when I heard that? Surprise is probably a good word to describe how I felt. At work, they were very religious about making a worker return to the clinic for the reading by a nurse. If one were to miss it, then a new test had to be planted. I know, different situation. It's a good thing I was a clinical pharmacist and have seen what positive PPD results can look like. I am also confident about reporting negative PPD results through personal experience. However, I cannot imagine placing this kind of responsibility on a parent, especially without any written instructions. Granted my daughter is not at high risk for having TB, nor has she been recently exposed to someone with TB, but some pictorial guidance would be helpful. What if the parent forgot to look at the arm or call the office? Hopefully the nurse will call and remind the family. My daughter's arm has no raised bumps or redness, and yes, I called and left a message. When in doubt, though, ask the doctor to check it out.
For more information about TB and testing, check out:
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment