Emergency Medicine

Preparing for Your Child's Visit

If your child needs to come to the Emergency Department:

• Please do not give them anything to eat or drink before coming.
• Give medications you would normally give for pain or fever
• If your child has a comfort item, bring it with you. Doctors will often even provide a checkup for a lovey that comes along for the trip which can help relax your child.
• Plan to be in the Emergency Department for several hours. Although we always do our best to send people home as soon as possible, if your child needs testing or consultation with a specialist, it may take a while.

What to Expect During Your Child's Visit

Our dedicated Pediatric Emergency Department features state-of-the-art facilities that is designed for children.   Extra safety precautions are taken in our pediatric emergency department to ensure your safety right now.

• To promote social distancing, time in a waiting area is minimized with most of the registration and triage occurring in your evaluation room, separate from others.
• All staff are wearing all the appropriate protective equipment to keep you safe
• All patients and parents will be given a mask on arrival.
• Restricted visitation policies are implemented throughout the hospital to minimize the risk of disease spread.
• Our cleaning practices incorporate recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition to our usual frequent cleans, our space is undergoing more frequent deep cleanings.
• Hand sanitizer is available throughout the department.

Arrival

When you and your child arrive, our front desk will collect some basic information and then direct you to your evaluation room where available.

Triage

Triage is the process of evaluating the seriousness of your child's illness or injury. You and your child will be seen by the triage nurse next who is specially trained to take care of children in the Emergency setting. This registered nurse will ask you questions about your child's illness or injury, check your child's vital signs and weight, and briefly examine your child. It is important to give all the needed information to the triage nurse. If your child has a life-threatening or very serious illness or injury, he or she will be seen by a doctor with the nurse immediately. Before you arrive to the Emergency Department, your child's primary care provider may have called to tell us about your child and their condition.

Registration

The registrar will come and ask you for additional information such as your address and telephone number. This information will help us to contact you or your child's doctor about your child's care. Paperwork necessary for your visit will be given to you at that time.

Waiting

You and your child will be seen by our physicians as soon as possible. A waiting period is possible since we must prioritize children with the most serious illnesses and injuries. Because of this, patients may not be seen in the same order of their arrival. While you are waiting, please do not to give your child anything to eat or drink without checking with the triage nurse first. If you notice that your child is getting sicker or is in more pain, tell one of our staff members right away.

During the day, a child life specialist is usually available to offer activities, answer questions, and help keep you informed. We have many toys, books and videos available to help your child pass the time.

Examination

Our team of doctors and nurses will care for your child. It is common for us to ask the same questions again or repeat the examination by different members of our team.

Your child may be evaluated by two different physicians. Your child may be initially seen by a resident physician, who is a qualified medical doctor in specialty training to provide care for children. Your child will also be seen by an attending physician who is a qualified medical doctor already specially trained to provide care for children with emergencies. The attending physician supervises the care of your child. Depending on your child's condition, your doctor may order a blood test, X-rays, or other tests to help determine what is wrong with your child. Each test will be fully explained to you before it is performed. Your child may also need evaluation by a pediatric specialist.

A top priority in our Pediatric Emergency Department is to make sure each child is as comfortable as possible, and to rapidly assess and treat pain. If your child is in any pain, please make sure a doctor or nurse is notified so that the proper medication can be given.

Discharge or Admission

When your child's care is complete, the doctor or nurse will give you instructions on how to care for your child's illness or injury when you return home. They will also tell you about follow-up care.

If you have any questions after you leave, call the Pediatric Emergency Department at (212) 746-3300, your child's primary care provider or our telemedicine service.

Your doctors may decide that your child needs to be admitted and stay in the hospital longer for further observation, tests or treatment. we are affiliated with the top-ranked NewYork-Presbyterian Phyllis and David Komansky Children’s Hospital. Arrangements will be made for your child to be moved to an inpatient bed on either our general pediatrics unit or the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) as soon as possible. Your child will continue to receive excellent care by our specialists in our Children’s Hospital, supported by the resources of a world-class academic medical center until they are well enough to return home.