Emergency Department (ED) General Information
- Communication Center for Providers: 206-987-8899 or toll free 866-987-8899
- Clinical Fax: 206-987-3945
- Emergency or Urgent Care?
ED administrative offices:
- Phone: 206-987-2599
- Fax: 206-729-3070
The Seattle Children’s ED is staffed 24 hours per day, seven days per week. We see approximately 30,000 children each year and have a 20% admission rate. About one half of all children admitted to Children’s are admitted through the ED.
There is always an attending physician in the ED. During evenings and busy seasons, there may be as many as three attending physicians on duty in the ED.
Children’s is a teaching hospital and physicians in training see many patients. However, all patients are ultimately seen by and treatment plans are formulated in conjunction with an attending physician.
Fast track clinic
During high volume seasons, we staff an additional fast track clinic adjacent to the ED to expedite the care of children with lower acuity conditions. All patients are seen by a triage nurse prior to being assigned to the fast track clinic. Fast track physicians are attending level general pediatricians who also have experience working in the main emergency department
How to Access the Emergency Department and What to Expect
Call 206-987-8899 or toll free 866-987-8899
An experienced ED nurse will answer your call and will be able to document your patient's information. This information will become a permanent part of your patient's chart and will be available to ED care team members on your patient's arrival. Children’s ED attending physicians are always available for consultation if necessary.
When you call, please provide us with:
- Your patient's name
- Age or date of birth
- A brief history of present illness and condition
- Potential isolation issues (respiratory or other)
- Any specific issues that you would like to have addressed during your patient's ED visit.
- A number where we may reach you to update you on your patient's condition and to collaborate on a follow-up plan.
- If you would like to attend on your patient if he or she is admitted to the hospital or if you would like your patient to be placed under the care of one of our house attending physicians.
The nurse will then ask for your patient's address and insurance information. So your patient will be pre-registered when he arrives.
Children with severe, multi-system trauma or head injury with significant concern for an acute intracranial hemorrhage will be referred to the Emergency Department at Harborview Medical Center at 206-731-3074.
The Children’s ED will assist in making decisions about appropriate transport options. Patients with significant respiratory symptoms, altered mental status or other potentially unstable conditions should be transferred in a medical environment.
Families are encouraged to first contact their primary care provider for healthcare advice. Calls from patients and their families are welcomed for questions specifically related to a recent ED visit.
Calls from all other families are referred to the Children’s Resource Line which can be reached at 206-987-2500 or toll-free 866-987-2500.
What Your Patient Should Bring
- A guardian or parent
- Immunization history, allergies, and current medications]
- Lab tests
- Past medical conditions and procedures
- Clinic notes
- Hard copies or digital files of any imaging studies from other facilities
NPO (Nil Per O's, Nothing by Mouth)
To ensure the timeliest and safest care for your patient, please re-emphasize that patients should remain NPO if any of the following apply:
- If sedation for any painful or distressing procedure (laceration repair, possible fracture, foreign body removal) may be required
- If any surgical procedure is possible (acute abdomen, intestinal obstruction, esophageal or airway foreign body)
- Significant respiratory distress or critical illness
What to Expect When Your Patient Arrives
Upon arrival, your patient will be seen by a trained greeter or nurse. If resources are available, patients are brought directly back to a room where registration is performed at the bedside and care is initiated.
If rooms or staff are not available, patients undergo a triage evaluation by an ED nurse.
Triage
Patients with life threatening illnesses are seen first. All other patients are generally seen in the order that they arrive.
Children with less acute problems may be seen in an adjacent Fast Track area of the ED by a general pediatrician. The Fast Track clinic operates as volume dictates during periods of highest census.
Registration
Patients should have your name and contact information and their personal information available. Registration is done at the bedside for children with more acute illness.
While we cannot predict how long your patient will be in the ED, please tell your patient or their family that unforeseen events may delay care for all patients.
We will do our best to keep them updated but they should feel free to ask what is happening if we have not kept them up to date.
Exam
Your patient may be seen by a pediatric, family practice, or emergency medicine resident and/or a pediatric emergency medicine fellow. All patients are seen by an ED attending physician.
ED services
The Children’s ED has the capability of providing on-site sedation for painful procedures. The Children’s ED has the resources of social workers and child life specialists who work with children and families to make their stay less frightening.
The ED staff strives to make the ED experience as pleasant as possible for patients and families. Snacks, coffee, and cold beverages are made available to families.
Each private exam room has access to a television, closed circuit videos, children's books and a telephone.
Consults and specialty evaluations
After evaluation by an ED attending physician, consultation with Children’s specialty services is available as warranted. The ED attending has overall responsibility for determining and monitoring what services are required for your patient.
Learn more about the Emergency Department.