Around a third of all general emergency department (ED) visits in Canada are from children. However, these children are vulnerable to receiving care based on adult methods of treatment each time they visit an ED. This puts their lives at risk.

In Manitoba, there is only one children’s hospital that has an ED designed to treat children. Therefore, we expect many more ED visits from children at other hospitals for years to come. Additionally, death in younger children is about two to four times higher in Indigenous and other underserved populations.

To reduce the risk of mismanagement of children in EDs, we want to know the present state of EDs to care for injured and acutely ill children. We will study six main aspects:

1. Coordination of patient care

2. Staffing and training

3. Quality improvement

4. Patient safety

5. Policies and procedures

6. Availability of pediatric equipment/supplies

We want to know why EDs may not be able to give proper care for kids who need emergency treatment. We want to implement the same readiness initiative used in the United States, which was found to reduce child deaths in EDs.

To accomplish our goal, we will provide an online/PDF survey to all EDs to collect the information that we need for assessment. We’ll then conduct a study to implement readiness initiative in EDs. This study has the potential to help improve the emergency care of children in Manitoba.