Emergency Department
The Emergency Department
- The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Emergency Department (ED) treats approximately 77,800 children per year. It was the first Level 1 Trauma Center for children in the Delaware Valley and is home to the Poison Control Center.
- The ED's attending staff consists of 30 board-certified specialists in pediatric emergency medicine. The ED's nursing staff is specially trained in pediatric emergency nursing.
- Children are triaged by an experienced pediatric ED nurse within minutes of arrival. Patients are seen in order of the acuity of their illness or injury. Whenever possible, in-room registration of higher acuity patients is provided.
- Every patient seen in the Children's Hospital ED is evaluated by an attending physician in addition to resident physicians. Most children wait about one hour to be seen by a physician unless the ED is treating many critical children at the same time.
- After evaluation by a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, further specialty services are available and will be obtained as necessary.
- A "high volume" plan is in place during the winter epidemic season to provide more staff, therefore decreasing patient waiting times.
- Children who are not acutely ill may be seen in a separate urgent care area of the ED by a board-certified general pediatrician or pediatric nurse practitioner in conjunction with the urgent care attending physician.
- The ED has on-site radiology department and the capability to provide conscious sedation for potentially painful procedures.
- The ED employs a child life specialist who works with children and families. The ED staff also strives to make the ED experience as pleasant as possible for children and their families. Each private exam room has children's books and posters, age-appropriate activities and telephone access for parents and guardians.
