‎When you arrive at the emergency room (ED) you will see a triage nurse. The nurse will do an assessment that will help the ED doctor understand your child's situation. The triage nurse will ask questions related to their symptoms and why you have come to the hospital. 

After seeing the nurse, you will remain in the waiting room until there is a hospital room available for you. Visiting the ED may be stressful for you, your child or youth, and your whole family.

We try to see all of our patients as soon as we are able and still provide quality care. If you feel that your child's health situation has changed while you are waiting, please tell a nurse right away.

‎Once a room is available, a nurse will take you from the waiting room to your room. Your nurse will do an assessment with you and your child to help the ED doctor decide if it is appropriate to consult the mental health team. This assessment can include questions about safety, school, relationships, and stressors. 

After being assessed by the nurse, you will have some time until you are seen by the ED doctor. There are activities that you can request from your nurse to do, such as colouring, while you wait. 

The ER doctor will ask questions about the concerns that brought you to the hospital and also do a brief medical screen. 

All mental health concerns are taken seriously by the ED team, but not all will involve the mental health team. The ER doctor and nurse will decide if it is appropriate to involve another team to help with your child's situation. These teams can include social work, adolescent medicine, and the mental health team. 

If it is not necessary to involve any other teams, the ED doctor can refer you to a service called LINK. LINK has information on mental health resources in your community and will follow-up with you in two business days.  

If the decision is to consult the mental health team, you may be assessed by any member of that team, including psychiatric nurses, psychiatry residents, and psychiatrists.

‎These crisis assessments focus on the main concern that brought you to the ED. The assessment takes one to two hours and involves interviewing both child and caregiver. 

You can expect to be asked questions about:

• your main mental health concern
  

• general mental well-being
  

• safety
  

• relationships
  

• overall functioning (school, extracurricular activities, employment)

• past mental health history

• past medical history
  

• social history

The mental health team will consider the child's age and development when doing an assessment. 

‎After assessment, the mental health team will meet to review your case and to discuss the best plan for moving forward.

The two possible pathways are: 

1. Admission for a short crisis stabilization stay
• 24-48 hours in our emergency inpatient unit CAPE
2. Discharge with a plan that can include:
• safety plans
• information about mental health resources
• emergency medication recommendations
• referral to LINK telephone follow-up service