What Action Should Dr. Seldom Have Taken? Essay Sample

After noticing suspicious behavior depicted by both the child and his parents, Dr. Seldom ought to have raised his suspicions with the relevant authority. He is obligated to do so by statute. Any mandated reporter who has affirmative reason to believe that a child was a victim of abuse should promptly report the matter.

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If reporting was appropriate, to what agency should this have been reported, and what information should have been communicated to the reporting agency?

It was appropriate to report the matter to a Child Welfare Agency, which derives its authority from the Department of Human Services. Such agencies are mandated to protect children who have been abused or are suspected of having been abused. If such agencies are not in operation or are unavailable, the next available option would be the police authority or the office of the district attorney.

The report should contain the following details; the child’s names and address, details on who the parents or guardians are, age of the child, the nature of the child’s injuries as well as their extent, any evidence indicating previous harm, any details that may be necessary to bring the perpetrators of the abuse to justice.

Was Dr. Seldom correct in his concern of a lawsuit for defamation if he was incorrect by the report? Why or why not?

Dr. Seldom’s concerns of a defamation lawsuit were unfounded. This is because, according to the statutory laws, such persons are immune from any civil or criminal liability that may result from such reporting. This section of the Code was enacted as a show of good faith and in order to ensure that the best interests of the child come first.

Did Dr. Seldom subject himself to potential criminal liability by not reporting? Why or why not?

Indeed, Dr. Seldom is guilty of a misdemeanor for failing to report the matter. The Code specifically demands that such concerns ought to be informed promptly and that those who knowingly and willfully fails to report, shall be ear criminal liability.

Fortunately, the child, in this case, did not die. If he had been admitted to a hospital following this incident and subsequently died, would the child’s death be required to be reported to the medical examiner? Why or why not?

This death would be classified as a suspicious death and ought to be reported to the medical examiner. While this is not yet provided for by law, one is morally obligated to do so, to help bring to justice the perpetrators of the abuse that led to the child’s death. Failure to report would result in the root cause of the death not being determined.

Had the events of this case occurred in a children’s hospital rather than a primary care clinic, would a root cause analysis be recommended? Why or why not?

A root cause analysis would be recommended. This is a technique that helps in determining why a problem or situation happened in the first place. It is done with the following three goals; to determine what exactly happened, to identify further why it occurred, and to come up with measures to prevent the likelihood of a reoccurrence. By getting to the source of it all, it is possible to discover where the problem originated from, and how it transitioned into the symptoms being witnessed.

Being a children’s hospital, which specializes in children matters, such a tool must be utilized. Consequently, the facility can know how best to mitigate various children-related abuses.

References

2010 Georgia Code :: TITLE 19 - DOMESTIC RELATIONS :: CHAPTER 7 - PARENT AND CHILD RELATIONSHIP GENERALLY :: ARTICLE 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS :: § 19-7-5 - Reporting of child abuse; when mandated or authorized; content of report; to whom made; immunity from liability; report based upon privileged communication; penalty for failure to report. (n.d.). Retrieved June 17, 2020, from https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-19/chapter-7/article-1/19-7-5/

The Mind Tools Content Team by the Mind Tools Content Team, Team, T., Wrote, B., Wrote, C., & Wrote, M. (n.d.). Root Cause Analysis: Tracing a Problem to Its Origins. Retrieved June 17, 2020, from https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTMC_80.htm