Officials at BC Children’s Hospital are offering guidance ahead of the incoming respiratory virus season.
The advice is being given to cut down on emergency room traffic and to provide parents and guardians with alternative means of seeking care.
Between October and December 2022, more than 13,000 children and youth received care at BC Children’s Hospital emergency department. Officials said about one-third of them (4,795) could have been treated non-urgently, outside of an emergency care environment.
According to the hospital, the most common non-urgent concerns were fever and milder respiratory symptoms (cough and congestion), nausea/vomiting, mild abdominal pain and earache. The most common urgent concerns were children with moderate to severe respiratory distress.
“Our message to families is simple: if your child has an emergency health concern, our specialist emergency department team are prepared to provide exceptional care to them. When our ED is busy, however, clinicians must first focus their attention on children with the most urgent issues first, including those with life-threatening conditions,” said Dr. Garth Meckler, BC Children’s Hospital emergency medicine division head.
“This can result in a longer wait for children with less urgent concerns. We kindly ask all families to be patient and respectful to our staff. We know it is a stressful and anxious time visiting our hospital with an unwell infant or child.”
BC Children’s clinicians are advising of alternative care options available for parents and guardians:
Emergency care: Children with a medical emergency, such as difficulty breathing, require immediate medical attention. Families are urged to call 911 for ambulance services or visit their nearest emergency department or an urgent and primary care centre.
Non-urgent concerns: These medical issues can be treated by a family doctor, walk-in clinic or an urgent and primary care centre. As of this year, B.C. pharmacists can now provide direct care for select minor ailments such as pink eye, upset stomach, sprains, strains and allergies. HealthLink BC can also be used by parents and guardians for reliable, non-emergency health information and advice 24-7 by dialling 811.
Additional supports: BC Children’s Hospital has a dedicated webpage that was developed with emergency medicine doctors. It offers guidance and advice on dealing with both urgent and non-urgent care needs. The hospital also has a chatbot people can converse with for advice as well.
“Last year, our hospital experienced significant demand for emergency department care at the height of respiratory season. We recognize the significant stress this posed to families seeking care for their children.
“This year, we reviewed the operational adjustments in preparation for the respiratory season ahead. Our priority is to ensure every family visiting our emergency department this fall/winter knows that they are in safe and capable hands when they walk through the doors of our hospital,” said Christy Hay, BC Children’s Hospital clinical service delivery executive director.
In 2022, several B.C. parents told Global News of their experience at the emergency department, with many waiting many hours to see a medical official.
Deanna Conley told Global News she tried taking her daughter to other hospitals but was turned away because of her daughter’s age. She was stuck waiting at BC Children’s Hospital for hours along with plenty of other sick children.
“It is insanely busy and we have been in line for about an hour and we still have about 17 people in front of us just to get registered,” she said in November 2022.
“There’s nowhere to sit, there’s nowhere to stand. It’s insane.”
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