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Inside the ER of Canada’s largest children’s hospital where RSV surges

The first thing that hits you is the tiredness on your parents’ faces.

CBC News reports that a hospital in Toronto, Canada’s largest pediatric medical center, and others across the country, said a doctor was diagnosed with COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

The stress of the recent surge isn’t just affecting families. It also affects staff who are already depleted and exhausted by his three years of COVID-19. Long waits are creating outbursts of tension and anger directed at nurses and others.

“I’ve been a nurse for about 12 years, and this year…was the hardest,” said Lindsay Stewart Leger, Emergency Department Chief Nurse.

Harassment of Canadian healthcare workers has been on the rise for years.a Papers for 2021 The Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) has issued a call to action against the escalating violence. In a 2017 survey, 68% of registered practicing nurses and personal support workers reported experiencing workplace violence at least once during the year.

At the main entrance of the SickKids emergency department, two security guards are ready to deal with frustrated parents. Stewart Leger understands why his parents are frustrated, but feels it’s a reality his family must expect and accept.

Lindsay Stewart-Legger, the chief nurse in the emergency department of a hospital in Toronto, has said this year has been “the most difficult year” of her 12-year career. (CBC)

“Please understand that just because you’re in line before someone else doesn’t mean you’ll get to see a doctor before your child. There’s a lot.Medical history, subtle things we do.Make sure we’re not happy or worried,” she said.

On a tour of the ER with department head Dr. Jason Fisher, the room is full and coughs and crying babies fill the corridors.

An exhausted mother is trying to rock her baby in a car seat. Some people try to distract the children in the waiting room with games or coloring books.

Overflow waiting area

Fisher describes what the hospital has been through for weeks as “unprecedented.”

“It was a complete storm of different factors,” he said.

Some days the demand was so high that the hospital set up an overflow waiting area in the cafeteria. The doctor also took over a nearby orthopedic clinic and added more beds for his patients.

“This emergency department is designed for 65,999 visits per year. This year, if we follow this trajectory, we will have over 90,000 visits,” Fischer said.

Gray-haired man in blue scrubs and a stethoscope around his neck.
Dr. Jason Fischer recalls talking to a family who tried three different avenues of treatment before coming to a hospital emergency department. (CBC)

Data from the hospital showed 8,877 visits between October 3rd and November 7th, a 21% increase over the same period three years ago. The average wait time in the emergency department has tripled since October 2019, with some patients waiting up to 12 hours.

For many parents, hospitals are a last resort in the face of drug shortages and lack of access to primary care physicians, Fisher said.

“I was on a particular night shift when I remember talking to this family. They were very sorry that they had to come to the emergency department, but they We were trying to access care in three different ways.”

Ripple effect

The ripple effects of this latest surge are being felt across hospitals.

Last week, SickKids announced it was canceling non-urgent surgeries. Staff have been redeployed to the emergency department and pediatric intensive care units, which are completely overwhelmed with the sickest children being treated.

“We are currently in a situation where there are very large numbers of these children suffering from respiratory disorders or so-called respiratory insufficiency … continue to provide the necessary care to these children with life-threatening illnesses. The only way out is to pull resources from elsewhere.Unfortunately, we have to make such difficult decisions,” said Dr. Stephen Schwartz, the hospital’s director of critical care. increase.

“This is, to some degree…our COVID in pediatrics.”

Last month, the average wait time in the emergency department at SickKids was three times longer than it was in October 2019, hospital officials said. (Carlos Osorio/CBC)

At the nurses station adjacent to the ICU, Schwartz meets with team members to discuss ways to create more space for children waiting in the emergency department amid staff shortages.

“We have one room with six flu patients, so we moved them,” said Lee-Ann Williams, the floor’s registered nurse. “We’re using BiPap.” I have an emergency patient. [a breathing machine] it has to come. I have no place for that patient. “

Hospital officials say they now feel stuck.

Jackie Hubbert, Executive Director of Critical Care Services, said: “I’m a little handcuffed, to be honest.”

Schwartz responds to her by saying that help is coming from various parts of the hospital. But her SickKids and other pediatric centers across Canada are inundated with concerned parents, so she may not be able to see a doctor in time.

A man is standing wearing a SickKids sweater and a blue surgical or surgical mask.
With so many children now having breathing problems, hospitals are having to shift resources from different locations to emergency rooms and pediatric intensive care units, says Dr Stephen Schwartz. (CBC)

“What’s keeping us up at night is the kids who really need our care are stuck elsewhere and can’t get in here,” he said.

With cold, flu, RSV and COVID-19 season in full swing, doctors and staff at SickKids hope pharmacy shelves will soon be filled with Tylenol and other medicines to help kids. But to keep hospitals for those most in need, Schwartz said it’s important to be fully vaccinated and wear masks in crowded situations.

“Anything we can do to reduce the spread of these diseases in our communities will help us, but more importantly, it will help your children.”

Inside the ER of Canada’s largest children’s hospital where RSV surges

Source link Inside the ER of Canada’s largest children’s hospital where RSV surges

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