Visits to IWK emergency room plunge during pandemic

During the first two months of the year, the IWK Health Centre's emergency department was swamped.

It had a record number of visits, and even installed extra seating to accommodate all the patients.

Now, the doctors and nurses say it's shockingly quiet.

Over the last few weeks, the pediatric emergency department saw the number of visits drop by more than half.

"It's dramatic," said Dr. Katrina Hurley, chief of the emergency department.

Colds, flus gone

She said part of the decrease is because schools and daycares are closed. Typical cases of colds and flus are gone.

"With the physical distancing, we are just not seeing those types of illnesses anymore," she said. "That, basically, abruptly ended flu season."

While the end of flu season is welcomed, there's growing concern among staff in the department that families might be staying away from the hospital because of COVID-19 fears.

"I would say people are nervous when they make the decision to come, it feels like a big decision," said Hurley. Some people tell her they haven't left home in two or three weeks.

The hospital is hoping to ease concerns by talking about changes it has implemented to protect families.

The emergency department now occupies two different parts of the IWK. Patients are screened at the door.

Those showing possible virus symptoms are sent to one area, while patients with no symptoms go to another with a separate entrance.

There are strict visitor restrictions, which mean just one parent or guardian can accompany a child. 

That extra seating the hospital installed is now gone, and the remaining seating has been spaced further apart.

Waiting room barely needed

But with the new setup, there's rarely a need to use the waiting room. Patients are taken into rooms as quickly as possible.

Rebecca deChamplain, clinical leader of operations in the emergency department, said all common areas are closed.

"I would suspect that families aren't in any contact with other children or families while they're here," she said. "It's pretty unlikely right now that you're even going to pass someone in a hallway."

Staff wear protective gear, including masks, when meeting with patients.

It's something that initially worried Hurley, who wondered how the children would react. She said she's surprised at how well they've adapted in just a few weeks.

"Kids are seeing their parents wear masks now, so I feel like wearing a mask now seems far more normal to people," Hurley said.

"It's hard sometimes to interact with children when you're wearing a mask," deChamplain added. "So we're all trying our best to have a friendly face as much as possible."

Call 811 for advice

DeChamplain said the IWK hopes parents trust their gut. If they would have brought a child to the department for something before the pandemic, they should continue to do so now, she said.

"We still want to see those children. We don't want parents to be trying to manage things that they don't feel comfortable managing at home."

If parents are on the fence, they can call 811. The number gives access to medical advice, even for those who don't suspect they have COVID-19.

As patient numbers continue to stay low, Hurley said she now has spare time during her shifts, something that is new for her.

She said the time is being well used to practise scenarios, such as if a child with COVID-19 needed to be resuscitated.

"It involves doing all those skills in a different setting than we would normally use, with different equipment that we would normally have available to us, and fewer people than we would normally use all to minimize the number of people who would be exposed," Hurley said.

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