BC Children's Hospital shares respiratory illness season 'guidance' for parents

With respiratory illness season underway, BC Children's Hospital is asking parents for patience and discretion when it comes to seeking treatment for sick kids.

The hospital's emergency department shared "guidance" for families in a statement this week, noting that it treated more than 13,000 young people between October and December last year.

More than a third of those – 4,795 – were children who could have been treated non-urgently, outside of an emergency care environment, according to the hospital.

This year, in hopes of reducing that number, the hospital has created a dedicated page on its website aimed at offering "guidance on the top urgent issues that require care from your nearest emergency department, and those that can be managed in other clinical settings." 

The hospital also recently launched "Sunny Bear," a chat bot on its homepage that advises families of hospital services and provides tips on staying well during respiratory illness season. 

“Last year, our hospital experienced significant demand for ED care at the height of respiratory season," said Christy Hay, the hospital's executive director of clinical service delivery, in the statement.

"We recognize the significant stress this posed to families seeking care for their children. This year, we reviewed the operational adjustments made last year in preparation for the respiratory season ahead. Our priority is to ensure every family visiting our ED this fall/winter knows they are in safe and capable hands when they walk through the doors of our hospital."

The top non-urgent concerns that brought people to the emergency department last year were fever and milder respiratory symptoms such as cough and congestion, nausea and vomiting, mild abdominal pain and earache.

Such issues can typically be handled by a family doctor, walk-in clinic, or urgent and primary care centre, BC Children's said, adding that pharmacists can now provide direct care for certain minor ailments, including pink eye, upset stomach, sprains, strains, and allergies.

The most common urgent concerns that warranted an emergency department visit last year were children with moderate to severe respiratory illness.

Children experiencing difficulty breathing require immediate medical attention, the hospital said, encouraging parents to call 911 or bring their child directly to the nearest emergency department in such a situation.

“Our message to families is simple: If your child has an emergency health concern, our specialist ED team is prepared to provide exceptional care to them," said Dr. Garth Meckler, the division head for emergency medicine at BC Children's, in the statement.

"When our ED is busy, however, clinicians must first focus their attention on children with the most urgent issues, including those with life-threatening conditions. 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. Rest assured, our staff do their utmost to provide the best possible care to all patients."

In 2022, six children died of influenza in a matter of weeks in B.C. Typically, there are only five to six child deaths from influenza across the entire country each year. 

Children's hospitals across Canada dealt with huge, sometimes unprecedented demand for care last respiratory illness season, with an Ontario hospital resorting to calling in the Red Cross for assistance. 

BC Children's never took that step, but it did implement an emergency operations centre to co-ordinate efforts to deal with the high patient volume.

The hospital also cancelled surgeries, diverted patients to other facilities and opened an overflow ER in response to last year's respiratory illness season.