Knowledge to Action in Pediatric Emergency Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Information about COVID-19 in children changes fast as we learn more about the disease and its wider impact. This pandemic is changing the lives of children who have COVID-19 and in other ways. For example, the fear of getting COVID-19 may be changing how families decide on where and when to get health care. Children coming to the emergency department during the COVID-19 pandemic have been sicker. Most children when they need emergency care in Canada first visit a general or community emergency department that is not part of a children's hospital. It is important that healthcare providers in these emergency departments have the latest information on how best to care for children. Our research project will bring world-leading child health researchers, parents, and emergency healthcare providers together to share the latest information on COVID-19 and its wider impacts. We will use this information to create educational tools and resources so healthcare providers can quickly find and use the information they need when caring for children. Then we will test how useful these resources are for healthcare providers and if we need change them in any way. We will also ask parents and youth about what information is important for emergency healthcare providers to know. We will share these educational tools and resources will all emergency departments in Canada. We want to help emergency health care providers feel better prepared to give the best possible care to children during this pandemic, and ultimately improve emergency care for children across Canada.