HomeMedical SpecialtiesPediatricsPaediatric Short Stay Unit improves access to care

Paediatric Short Stay Unit improves access to care

Published on

NYGHIn January, North York General Hospital (NYGH) introduced a Paediatric Short Stay Unit to provide young patients with timely access to acute care for up to eight hours.
The most common referrals to the Paediatric Short Stay Unit are for respiratory infections, jaundice, asthma and gastroenteritis. Family physicians and paediatricians in the community can contact the hospital for a paediatric consult and directly refer a patient to the short stay unit. Patients can also be referred through the Charlotte & Lewis Steinberg Emergency. This process ensures timely assessment, treatment and testing in a child friendly space, with clinicians who specialize in paediatric care.

“We’ve seen 230 patients in the Paediatric Short Stay Unit in only three months, and many parents shared they were really happy with the process, the care and just having these beds available to the community,” says Heather SuRegistered Nurse on the Child and Teen/Paediatric Short Stay Unit at NYGH. “Coming to a hospital can be a scary experience for young children. Being on the Paediatric Short Stay Unit can offer families a more comfortable and quiet environment, with tools and comfort measures for children available on the unit.”

MORE: UNRAVELLING THE MYSTERY OF LYME DISEASE: WHY CANADA NEEDS TO DO MORE

Currently, there are four paediatric short stay beds on the Child and Teen Unit at North York General.  “We know the paediatric short stay beds can significantly improve the care experience for our young patients and their families,” says Dr. Ronik Kanani, Chief of Paediatrics at NYGH. “This initiative is really about making sure our paediatric patients are getting the right care, in the right place, at the right time. From an organizational level, these beds have the added benefit of reducing Emergency Department visits and improving patient flow.”

Dr. Kanani says 80 per cent of referrals have come directly from the community; many of those would have come through the Emergency Department if the Paediatric Short Stay Unit was not available. The success of the Paediatric Short Stay Unit can be attributed to the partnerships between NYGH and the family health teams in the community, and the continued collaborative efforts between the hospital’s Child and Teen Program and the Emergency Department.

Latest articles

The Canadian Consensus Statement on the management of venous leg ulcers

This Consensus Statement was developed with the objective of creating a concise document that...

A pathway to independence for patients with rare disease

Nearly 20 years ago, Audrey Gouskos came through the St. Michael’s Hospital Emergency Department...

Robotic-assisted rehabilitation now available in Fraser Health

Stroke patient Leanne Mork is learning to walk again with the assistance of a...

Helping Canada Design Health Care Facilities for Future Needs

Health care facilities (HCFs) play an important role in communities, providing a safe, secure,...

More like this

Child undernutrition may be contributing to global measles outbreaks, researchers find

Amid a global surge in measles cases, new research suggests that undernutrition may be...

Research suggests link between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and increasing uncertainty in routine vaccines for young children

A study published last week, Parental Factors Associated With Measles–Mumps–Rubella Vaccination in US Children Younger...

Are anxiety and depression useful predictors of heart disease risk?

Adding measures of anxiety and depression to a commonly used cardiovascular risk predictor would...

Provinces need to come together now to make pharmacare a reality for all Canadians

With a federal election looming, we need swift action to make pharmacare a reality...

The role of healthcare in mitigating the climate crisis

The role of healthcare in mitigating the climate crisis By Wendy Levinson Canada signed the historic...

COVID-19 vaccine cuts risk of disease in half when administered during pregnancy

A large multistate study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s)...