Kids’ emergency rooms are crunched in Canada. What parents should know

In just the past week, health officials in Alberta and Quebec have noted capacity issues at their hospitals with one official saying there were "a lot of kids being hospitalized."

Canada’s pediatric hospitals and the doctors who work in them are raising concerns about the spike in sick kids filling up emergency rooms and hospital beds amid the current respiratory season. Some are urging parents to keep their kids at home, depending on what symptoms they are showing.

In just the past week, health officials in Alberta and Quebec have noted capacity issues at their hospitals, with the president of the Alberta Medical Association, Dr. Paul Parks, saying there were “a lot of kids being hospitalized.” Parks says their hospitals are overflowing at 150-per cent capacity, with ICUs almost full

This week, Ontario Hospital Association President Anthony Dale said in a news release that the province’s facilities are seeing evidence of COVID-19, RSV and the flu creating a surge, with occupancy in the province sitting at 97.8 per cent and intensive care at 75.8 per cent as of Dec. 3. In addition, as of Nov. 30 Dale said that pediatric ICU occupancy was at 76 per cent.

With many hospitals facing this crunch, some doctors say there are certain illnesses parents can keep an eye out for when determining if they should take their child into the ER.

“A simple fever where a child’s active and drinking is not necessarily a reason to come to the emergency department,” Dr. Laurie Plotnick, medical director of the pediatric emergency department at the Montreal Children’s Hospital told reporters last week.

“If a child is having trouble breathing, if they seem dehydrated so they’re not urinating, they’re much more lethargic than usual, they’re not drinking, they’ve had a fever that’s persisted for a long time, they need to see a health-care professional.”

She adds a serious head injury or something that may seem like a fracture are also cause for emergency care.

From Nov. 17 to Dec. 1, minor health problems reportedly accounted for 58 per cent of ER visits at Montreal Children’s Hospital and 37 per cent at Sainte-Justine.