In an emergency, concerned parents will take their children to the nearest emergency room to address an urgent situation. The pediatric ER specializes in treating children.
Dr. Christine Krier, Medical Director of Kids ER at West Florida Healthcare, explains the difference between a regular emergency department and a pediatric ER.
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Choosing a Pediatric ER - What Parents Should Know
Featuring:
Christine Krier, MD
Christine Krier, MD is the Medical Director, Kids ER - West Florida Healthcare. Transcription:
Adam Ragusea (Host): As the father of very small kids, I have visited the pediatric emergency room more often than I would like in recent years. The older boy broke both of his legs in separate incidents within a space of six months. I can tell you from experience, that your choice of which pediatric ER you go to, really matters. How do you choose? Let’s ask Dr. Christine Krier, Medical Director of the Kids’ ER at West Florida Hospital.
This is Helmet of Health of Health a podcast from West Florida Hospital. I’m Adam Ragusea and Dr. Krier, I suppose in the heat of the moment, parents might not have a choice, right, they just need to go to the closest ER possible.
Christine Krier, MD (Guest): Correct. In those emergency situations, you want to get medical attention fast so, most commonly you are going to go to the closest place possible. You want to be prepared which facilities are around you. If you do have a choice, we always like to choose having a separate pediatric ER.
In those situations, you are going to have personnel caring for your child that specializes in pediatrics and that includes your nurses and your doctors, and they are all trained to relate to kids when they are scared or hurting.
Host: What’s a specific thing they might do differently at a pediatric ER other than just be more sensitive to the emotional state of kids?
Dr. Krier: Sure. Our approach to medical care is different for adults and children. So, we try to make procedures less traumatic with techniques specifically designed for children. Out best technique right now is called the J-Tip, and this is something that sprays lidocaine into the subcutaneous tissue so that you can do an IV or an injection in a child without it hurting.
Host: Why can’t grown ups get that? That sounds great.
Dr. Krier: I think grown ups could get it actually. We should give it a try next time you come down to the ER.
Host: All right. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. You sound like a lovely doc, but I would really rather not see you. When I’ve taken my kids to the pediatric ER, which I have unfortunately had to do with both of them; it was a pediatric ER that was physically part of the main ER, like we went in through the same entrance. There are hospitals where the pediatric ER is in like a different building. It’s got its own entrance. Which do you think is better?
Dr. Krier: I think having a pediatric ER in a specific space for pediatrics is key. You want to be separate from the main ER to minimize stress for children. That being said, sometimes you’re housed in the same building, sometimes you have the same triage area, but we want to get those kids back to the pediatric area as fast as possible to see a pediatrician.
Host: In those facilities where there actually is a fully physically separate pediatric ER; would they have all of the necessary equipment that my children might need or should I worry about that?
Dr. Krier: I don’t think that’s something to worry about. They have all of the key supplies and resources that they need to treat children appropriately in that building.
Host: So, what are the most common pediatric emergencies that you see in your practice?
Dr. Krier: The most common, just like your son, is broken bones but also, we see croup, diabetes problems, head injuries, foreign bodies in the nose, in the ear, vomiting, appendicitis and even asthma related problems.
Host: Yeah so, I bet you are pretty good at those at this point.
Dr. Krier: Well I try. I’ve spent some time fishing acorns and beads out of noses.
Host: So, what’s good about your pediatric ER in particular?
Dr. Krier: What I love the most about my pediatric ER is that we are completely staffed with caregivers specifically trained for pediatric emergencies. And we have a collaboration with Nemours subspecialty group and therefore, anytime of the day, I have instant connections with subspecialists for your children. So, if you have a chronically ill child that has special needs; I can get in touch with their physician very quickly.
Host: All right. Thanks Doc. That’s Dr. Christine Krier, Medical Director or the Kids’ ER at West Florida Hospital. And thank you for listening to Helmet of Health. Visit www.westfloridahospital.com to get connected with Dr. Krier or another provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social channels and be sure to check out all the other podcasts in the library.
Adam Ragusea (Host): As the father of very small kids, I have visited the pediatric emergency room more often than I would like in recent years. The older boy broke both of his legs in separate incidents within a space of six months. I can tell you from experience, that your choice of which pediatric ER you go to, really matters. How do you choose? Let’s ask Dr. Christine Krier, Medical Director of the Kids’ ER at West Florida Hospital.
This is Helmet of Health of Health a podcast from West Florida Hospital. I’m Adam Ragusea and Dr. Krier, I suppose in the heat of the moment, parents might not have a choice, right, they just need to go to the closest ER possible.
Christine Krier, MD (Guest): Correct. In those emergency situations, you want to get medical attention fast so, most commonly you are going to go to the closest place possible. You want to be prepared which facilities are around you. If you do have a choice, we always like to choose having a separate pediatric ER.
In those situations, you are going to have personnel caring for your child that specializes in pediatrics and that includes your nurses and your doctors, and they are all trained to relate to kids when they are scared or hurting.
Host: What’s a specific thing they might do differently at a pediatric ER other than just be more sensitive to the emotional state of kids?
Dr. Krier: Sure. Our approach to medical care is different for adults and children. So, we try to make procedures less traumatic with techniques specifically designed for children. Out best technique right now is called the J-Tip, and this is something that sprays lidocaine into the subcutaneous tissue so that you can do an IV or an injection in a child without it hurting.
Host: Why can’t grown ups get that? That sounds great.
Dr. Krier: I think grown ups could get it actually. We should give it a try next time you come down to the ER.
Host: All right. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. You sound like a lovely doc, but I would really rather not see you. When I’ve taken my kids to the pediatric ER, which I have unfortunately had to do with both of them; it was a pediatric ER that was physically part of the main ER, like we went in through the same entrance. There are hospitals where the pediatric ER is in like a different building. It’s got its own entrance. Which do you think is better?
Dr. Krier: I think having a pediatric ER in a specific space for pediatrics is key. You want to be separate from the main ER to minimize stress for children. That being said, sometimes you’re housed in the same building, sometimes you have the same triage area, but we want to get those kids back to the pediatric area as fast as possible to see a pediatrician.
Host: In those facilities where there actually is a fully physically separate pediatric ER; would they have all of the necessary equipment that my children might need or should I worry about that?
Dr. Krier: I don’t think that’s something to worry about. They have all of the key supplies and resources that they need to treat children appropriately in that building.
Host: So, what are the most common pediatric emergencies that you see in your practice?
Dr. Krier: The most common, just like your son, is broken bones but also, we see croup, diabetes problems, head injuries, foreign bodies in the nose, in the ear, vomiting, appendicitis and even asthma related problems.
Host: Yeah so, I bet you are pretty good at those at this point.
Dr. Krier: Well I try. I’ve spent some time fishing acorns and beads out of noses.
Host: So, what’s good about your pediatric ER in particular?
Dr. Krier: What I love the most about my pediatric ER is that we are completely staffed with caregivers specifically trained for pediatric emergencies. And we have a collaboration with Nemours subspecialty group and therefore, anytime of the day, I have instant connections with subspecialists for your children. So, if you have a chronically ill child that has special needs; I can get in touch with their physician very quickly.
Host: All right. Thanks Doc. That’s Dr. Christine Krier, Medical Director or the Kids’ ER at West Florida Hospital. And thank you for listening to Helmet of Health. Visit www.westfloridahospital.com to get connected with Dr. Krier or another provider. If you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social channels and be sure to check out all the other podcasts in the library.