Montreal children's hospitals urging parents to avoid ERs

Children's hospitals in Montreal are asking parents to avoid going to the emergency department unless it's an emergency.

The Montreal Children's Hospital and the CHU Sainte-Justine Hospital announced that the increase in the number of patients with viruses and respiratory infections has put a lot of pressure on emergency departments. As a result, they have asked parents to go to the emergency room only in case of urgent need.

"Children with mild symptoms of a cold, flu or gastroenteritis can expect to wait several hours in the emergency room to be seen by a doctor," said Dr. Antonio D'Angelo, chief medical officer of CHU Sainte-Justine. "Emergency services should be reserved for people whose condition requires immediate care," added Dr. Harley Eisman, director of emergency at Montreal Children's Hospital. "For children with less serious conditions, other solutions can be used, such as 8-1-1 hotlines or walk-in clinics."

### Cases in which it is necessary to go to the emergency room:
- Fever in babies under three months
- Unusual drowsiness or dizziness
- Difficulty in breathing
Vomiting or diarrhea with inability to keep fluids down and/or signs of dehydration
- Swallowing toxic substances, drugs or unknown substances (after calling the Quebec Poison Control Center at 1-800-463-5060)
- Injuries such as:
- Head injury with unconsciousness, confusion or frequent vomiting
- Cuts that may need stitches
- Injury with possible bone fracture (for example, swelling or inability to use the limb)
- Damage to the eyes
- Burns that caused blisters

### Recommendations:
- Parents should recognize emergency cases and use options such as consulting a pharmacist or general practitioner for non-serious conditions.
- In case of going to the emergency room, it is better to minimize items such as powdered milk, food, diapers, acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and the number of family members so that better management can be done.

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