The sick child: reducing margin for error

Healthcare professionals working in urgent and emergency care usually see a lot of children with a range of acute illnesses. However, while most healthcare professionals will receive some form of paediatric training, this often varies greatly in depth and quality. This means that many staff working in the health service can feel insecure and lack confidence when dealing with an ill child, worrying about missing the signs of a serious illness or finding it hard to judge how sick a child really is.

21st Century health

The good news is that children in 21st Century Britain are healthier than ever before – thanks to modern vaccination programmes and overall good nutrition and screening programmes; so sudden death or serious illness in a child is increasingly rare. However, at the same time, parents have a lower threshold for seeking medical attention than ever before, so are more likely to request help. This means that in your practice you could encounter a hundred ill children before coming across one who has a really serious problem. In fact, spotting a seriously sick child is much like spotting the proverbial needle in the haystack. Judging the severity of the illness and having a working diagnosis means you will take the right actions regarding prioritisation, referral and treatment. Equally, the opposite is true; knowing that you have systematically evaluated a child, and that they seem fine, is important so as not to overload the health service, and to reassure the parents in a way that they believe you have made a thorough assessment.