Children's Unit
 
se/b07/10: Much too young for that?
 
Child standing
Back to St Emlyn's Reception

1. What can you see?

There is a comminuted fracture of the distal scaphoid. This is a significant injury and requires immobilisation and careful monitoring under the care of an orthopaedic surgeon.

2. What are you going to do about the radiographer?

Although it is tempting to run back round to X-ray and shove the film up his nose, you should resist. It is unlikely that a junior radiographer has decided not to X-ray your patient on their own opinion. Much more likely is that this is either culture or policy in the X-ray department. You should find out which it is and negotiate a solution. An agreed policy between the departments is always more likely to succeed than a good shouting match between individuals (tempting though it may be on occasion).