Emergency Services

Parents Magazine includes Nationwide Children's Hospital on its exclusive list of the 10 Best Children’s Hospitals in 2013. In addition to overall quality, Nationwide Children's ranks 5th in Emergency services.

Emergency Services at Nationwide Children’s Hospital features a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and Pediatric Emergency Department, which is staffed by board-certified/eligible pediatric emergency medicine sub-specialists 24 hours a day. The Emergency Department provides expertise in pediatric advanced life support and resuscitation, as well as evaluation and treatment in every area for acute medical and surgical conditions.

Urgent Care Services are provided at Nationwide Children’s Close To Home Centers in Canal Winchester, Dublin, East Columbus and Westerville and at the hospital’s main campus. Additionally, pediatric emergency medicine subspecialists staff the Pediatric Analgesia and Sedation Service. Emergency Medicine is dedicated to the provision of state-of-the-art acute pediatric care in a family-centered environment. The Emergency Department is the nation’s third busiest pediatric emergency department (based on NACHRI benchmarking data).

Family Centered Care

Nationwide Children's Emergency Department practices and promotes “Family Presence” during invasive procedures and resuscitative situations. The philosophy behind Family Presence supports the family as a constant in the patient's life. This practice recognizes and incorporates the strengths and coping strategies of the family in the child's care.

Thanks to an increasing trend with pre-hospital personnel, Family Presence is initiated in the field. Many EMS agencies are arriving with parents jumping out of the back of the ambulance or following closely behind the EMS crew. Family Presence has even taken to the skies. When appropriate, a caregiver is allowed to fly with his/her child in the helicopter during air transport.

Once the patient arrives in the ED, a family support person greets the family members. This support person has no direct patient care responsibility and is specifically assigned to initiate interventions to assist the family, provide emotional and psychosocial support and be a shoulder to lean upon. Parents are never forced to enter the trauma room, but are offered the option to enter if they desire. They are assured they will not be in the way, and they are welcome in the room.

Accommodations are made as soon as possible to bring the family to the bedside and the support person remains with the family member(s) at all times. It is the responsibility of the support person to act as a liaison with the medical staff and the family. Prior to the arrival of the family to the trauma room, the support person notifies the care providers of who will be entering. It is imperative that the line of communication remain open and the medical care team has knowledge of who is present in the room.