Frequently Asked Questions:

What can I expect when my child is admitted?

What is your Visitation Policy?

What happens in the PICU?

Who will be taking care of my child?

How can I help keep my child safe?

Where can I stay while at the hospital?

What can I expect when my child is admitted?

When your child first arrives in the PICU he or she will be examined by a team of physicians and nurses. Information will be gathered to help determine your child's plan of care. During this initial period we will ask you and your family to wait in the main Pediatrics Ward waiting area.

Once your child has been assessed, your child’s nurse will call you into the PICU to be with your child. He or she may have a series of questions to help us to get to know your child and facilitate their care.

What is your Visitation Policy?

We encourage you to spend as much time as possible with their child.

There may also be other times during the day that you will be asked to step out of the unit or wait to visit your child. This may occur because we are admitting another patient to an adjacent bed space or performing a procedure. We regret any inconvenience this may cause and really appreciate your cooperation.

We ask that no more than two visitors at a time be at your child's bedside. Parents may visit throughout the day and night. Daytime visitation may include family and close friends at the discretion of the parents.

Nighttime visiting (after 8.30 p.m.) will be limited to parents/guardians or their designee. After 8.30 p.m., you will need a name badge sticker for security reasons. During your child’s stay you will also have an arm band to identify you to the nursing staff.

Siblings are welcome to visit if it is acceptable to the parents/guardians.

What happens in the PICU?

A team of healthcare professionals is in charge of providing care to your child while he or she is in the PICU. The team typically consists of the attending physician, the PICU nurse, the PICU residents and medical students and the PICU pharmacist.

The PICU nurses provide care during eight or twelve-hour shifts.

Every morning from 9.00 a.m. to approximately 11:00 a.m., the PICU team makes rounds on each patient. The team may also be joined at this time by the pediatric dietician and the pediatric social worker Our rounds are intended to be family-focused and every effort will be made to help you feel an integral part of your child’s care. Do not hesitate to ask questions about the care your child is receiving and about any concerns you might have. There may also be a number of subspecialty teams of physicians involved in the care of your child including, Neurosurgery, Trauma Surgery, Orthopedic Surgery and so on. Their rounds occur at various times. If you are not present when they round, the PICU team will ensure that you are kept abreast of any new information that they would like passed on.

When you are with your child in the PICU, you will see many different monitors and hear various alarms. The alarms may seem overwhelming, but your child's nurse can explain what the alarms mean. Sometimes the alarms will ring because your child is moving or the nurse has interrupted the monitor. If you have any questions about an alarm or any other equipment, please ask your child's nurse.

Who will be taking care of my child?

The PICU is made up of a variety of health care professionals working together as a team in order to provide the best care possible. You will meet many people here, and we expect that you may not remember everyone's name. Please do not hesitate to ask one of us to re-introduce ourselves or our role in your child's care.

Here are just a few of the people that will be involved in the care of your child:

• Attending physicians: senior members of the medical and/or surgical staff who are in charge of your child's care. The attendings supervise your child's treatment and work with other team members to plan care every day.
• Fellows: physicians who have completed their residency and are now training in a specialty area of pediatrics.
• Residents: physicians who are receiving advanced training in the hospital. They rotate through the PICU for approximately one month.
• Registered nurse (RN): PICU nurses are specially educated in caring for critically ill children and their families.
• Respiratory therapist (RT): evaluates and treats patients with breathing problems. They are responsible for setting up your child’s breathing machine( if he or she is on one) and makes adjustments and troubleshoots as is necessary.
• Pharmacist: assists the medical and surgical teams with decisions regarding medications and intravenous nutrition.
• Dietician: assists the medical and surgical teams with providing appropriate nutrition for critically ill children.

How can I help keep my child safe?

Safety is one of our biggest priorities in the PICU. We encourage you to participate in helping us keep your child safe. Here are a few things that you can do to help keep them safe:

• Wash your hands. Children in the PICU are at great risk of infection because they are already ill. All people entering the PICU must wash their hands every time they enter the unit. If a visitor has a cold or other infectious disease, they may not be allowed to visit the PICU. If your child is in isolation, his or her nurse will explain what additional measures you will need to take.
  
  
• Wear identification. ID bands must be worn at all times. Let your nurse know if your child does not have one or if it comes off. Check that caregivers use the ID band. They are required to check both the child's name and medical record number before administering medication, performing procedures or transfusing blood.

Where can I stay while at the hospital?

There are a number of family rooms available for the families of our patients, particularly for those who are from outside of the Metro area. Please ask your child’s nurse about a family room. They will give you the code to enter the room  and show you where it is. On occasion, when the family rooms are all occupied, you will be given a private room on the main Pediatric Ward. If you prefer not to stay in the hospital, learn more about local hotels in the area here or ask the staff in the PICU for more information.