FPs step up to support hotline helping keep kids with mild illness out of the ER

An ER is the absolute last place a parents wants to have to take their kid during a pandemic. Fortunately, a hotline for Montreal families with sick kids is actually working to keep pediatric ER visits down since it launched two months ago. “Part of it may be that there was a huge burst of viral activity that may have settled down a little bit but not enough to explain perhaps the relief that we're feeling in our emergency rooms,” Dr. Robert Barnes. associate director of professional services at Montreal Children’s Hospital told CTV News. The 'one call, one appointment' system, he said is likely improving the situation in ERs. “Having hundreds of available appointments per day in order to offer that credible alternative to a multi-hour wait [in an emergency room] has made a huge difference,” he said. The hotline is for kids on the Island of Montreal up to age 16 who need to see a doctor quickly, but for a mild illness. Montreal’s regional department of general medicine (DRMG) established the phone number and the allotment of open pediatric appointments behind it in late September. Parents call 514-890-6111 and after explaining their child's symptoms are directed to one of 12 designated clinics in the city, or directed to other appropriate resources. The service has up to 600 weekday appointments and 400 on weekends. “It’s the first time actually that we launched this type of service, and the response has been very positive from the population,” said To Nhu Nguyen, an associate director at the DRMG. “They speak to a person. That's one comment that has come back over and over that people appreciate an answer and it's actually quite quick. The average delay for speaking to somebody is two minutes." Crunching the numbers to evaluate the program's success, Montreal Children’s ER saw 188 patients on Sept 28 triaged as P4-P5, meaning they should be seen in a medical clinic. On Nov. 28, the same hospital, 111 patients were P4-P5, a drop of 40.9%. CHU Sainte Justine saw a similar drop. The hotline booked 11,803 doctor’s appointments for children in just two months. Notably, Montreal physicians had to step up and find the time to see these children. "he “response from the physicians and the nurses and administrators has been very good," said the medical director of District Medical, Dr. Georges Zaarour. “We’re able amongst our 18 family doctors to squeeze in three shifts of four hours per day,” he said, adding that “having our very complicated health care system more accessible to the general public is a great idea.”

FPs step up to support hotline helping keep kids with mild illness out of the ER

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