Your child is sick, but is it an emergency?

BC Children's Hospital Emergency Department is there for you when your child is sick and requires pediatric emergency care. The Emergency Department is open at all times. One in three children who present to an Emergency Department could be managed well by a community physician or in a community health centre.

Sometimes it is difficult to know whether your child has a serious problem. Here are a few examples of where you should take your child immediately to your local Emergency Department or call 911:

Your child:

• Is having difficulty breathing
• Has blue lips or skin, or appears very pale
• Is coughing excessively, particularly in association with a fever
• Is vomiting excessively, especially blood in the vomit
• Has diarrhea and vomiting and is not producing tears, and has not urinated for several hours
• Has a high fever, appears very sleepy, and has not improved with acetominophen (Tylenol) or ibupfrofen (Advil).
• Is under three months of age and has a fever > 38 degrees C (100.4 degrees F)

NOTE: If you live in Vancouver, go to the Emergency Department at BC Children's Hospital. If you live outside Vancouver, care might better be delivered at your local hospital's Emergency Department.

If your child is not seriously ill where else could you seek medical advice?

Everyone has a role to play in managing the long waits in the Emergency Department. When your child is ill, you can consult some of the resources in your community before bringing your child to BC Children’s Emergency Department.

• Your primary care physician’s office. If your primary care physician is not available, often their office answering service will indicate who is on call for them. 
• If you do not have a primary care physician, you can call or visit one of the following: 
• HealthLink BC (8-1-1-) for immediate health advice from a registered nurse. HealthLink is also available online at www.healthlinkbc.ca
• Poison Control Centre: 1-800-567-8911.
• Your local Community Health Centre (see telephone listing for Clinics in the yellow pages) www.yellowpages.ca or a Family Medical Centre (also see telephone listing for Clinics in the yellow pages) which can assist with minor emergencies such as stitches & casts.

What to bring if you decide to come to BC Children’s

Bring your child’s Care Card or your Care Card. If your child requires hospitalization or is required to stay at BC Children’s it would greatly assist his/her care if you bring any specialized equipment, medication and summary of past illness with you.

To help us care for your child and prevent disruption to your child’s routine, please bring any of the following that your child may need:

• Medical equipment used by your child
• Current, labeled medications
• Specialized formula your child is taking
• Any tubes or devices needed to care for your child
• Summary of illness if available.

Last updated April 21, 2011