Clinical Practice Guidelines - NSW Health - Paediatric
In line with the Statewide Paediatric Network's goal for standardised quality of care, multidisciplinary working groups from all three Child Health Networks were instructed to develop guidelines for the treatment of the 10 most common paediatric presentations to emergency departments. The following were developed:
- Abdominal Pain (pdf 163K)
- Asthma (pdf 196K)
- Bacterial meningitis (pdf 223K)
- Bronchiolitis (pdf 223K) - Updated 19/1/12
- Croup (pdf 679K) - Updated 25/08/10
- Fever (pdf 257K) - Updated 11/10/10
- Gastroenteritis (pdf 466K) - Updated 03/02/10
- Head Injury (pdf 228K) - Updated 04/05/11
- Otitis Media (pdf 162K)
- Recognition of a Sick Baby or Child in the Emergency Department (pdf 417K) - Updated 17/6/11
- Seizures (pdf 345K) - Updated 16/10/09
- Sore Throat (pdf 247K)
Other NSW Health Policy Directives for the care of children
- Admission to Services Designated Level 1-3 Paediatric Medicine & Surgery (pdf 293K)
- Care in Acute Care Settings (pdf 1.6M)
- Critical Care Tertiary Referral Networks (Paediatrics) (pdf 123K)
- Inter-Facility Transfers (pdf 612K)
- Rural Paediatric Emergency Clinical Guidelines - Policy Directive - NSW Health (pdf 1.3M)
- Safety and Security in NSW Acute Health Facilities (pdf 71K)
Visit the NSW Health web site for a full list of policies pertaining to the baby and child.
Additional guidelines for Kaleidoscope, Hunter Children's Health Network staff are also available on their web site.
Disclaimer:
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It should be noted that these documents reflect what is currently regarded as a safe and appropriate approach to care. However, as in any clinical situation there may be factors which cannot be covered by a single set of guidelines, this document should be used as a guide, rather than as a complete authorative statement of procedures to be followed in respect of each individual presentation. It does not replace the need for the application of clinical judgment to each individual presentation.
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Each Area Health Service is responsible for ensuring that local protocols based on these guidelines are developed. Area Health Services are also responsible for ensuring that all staff treating paediatric patients are educated in the use of the locally developed paediatric guidelines and protocols.
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In the interests of patient care it is critical that contemporaneous, accurate and complete documentation is maintained during the course of patient management from arrival to discharge.
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Parental anxiety should not be discounted: it is often of significance even if the child does not appear especially unwell.
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The clinical guidelines published on this web site are only a guide and should not be used in place of consultation with senior medical staff.
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Furthermore, these are acute care guidelines and must be locally adopted to suit each locality and facility type.