Initiatives & Guidelines

Clinical Handbook for Paediatric Asthma

PCMCH, in partnership with Lung Health Foundation, updated the Clinical Handbook for Paediatric Asthma in November 2021. This handbook is a compendium of the rationale and clinical consensus for emergency department (ED) and in-patient management of paediatric asthma. The handbook: provides clinicians with evidence-based recommendations regarding management of paediatric asthma for the ED, in-patient episodes […]

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Perinatal Mental Health

Maintaining mental health is important to the well-being of pregnant and postpartum individuals. PCMCH’s Care Pathway for the Management of Perinatal Mental Health (July 2021) and accompanying Guidance Document (July 2021), support healthcare providers in identifying pregnant or postpartum patients who may be experiencing mental health issues, assess the severity of their symptoms, determine appropriate care

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Clinical Handbook for Sickle Cell Disease Vaso-occlusive Crisis

Sickle cell disease (SCD) causes intermittent and recurrent acute pain episodes as a result of vaso-occlusion. These episodes, referred to as “vaso-occlusive crises” (VOC), are the most common reason for emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for patients with SCD. Ensuring that patients receive timely, effective pain relief is one of the most important elements

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Transition to Adult Healthcare Services

The transition to adult-oriented healthcare services for youth with a chronic and/or complex physical, developmental and/or mental health condition is a process that begins prior to the actual transfer and does not stop once the transfer has occurred. Youth, their families, paediatric healthcare providers and adult healthcare providers all have an important role to play

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Retro-Transfer Implementation

Retro-transfer refers to the transfer of pregnant patients and/or newborns who are no longer considered high-risk from a higher level of care (i.e. tertiary centre) to a lower level of care in order to meet their care needs at a centre closer to home. Healthcare providers and administrators can use the following tools to coordinate timely

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Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Please note: The content on this webpage may contain outdated information and was accurate at the time it was published. Healthcare providers are encouraged to consult current evidence and resources on the topic. Substance use during pregnancy is a risk factor for negative pregnancy and neonatal outcomes. Infants at risk for neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS)

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Paediatric Levels of Care

Infants, children and youth have unique healthcare needs compared to adults; a range of paediatric expertise and resources is essential in hospitals to ensure that paediatric inpatients receive appropriate, safe and quality care throughout the continuum of inpatient care. PCMCH developed three distinct paediatric levels of inpatient care that take into consideration the acuity of

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Complex Care for Kids Ontario

Complex Care for Kids Ontario (CCKO) is a provincial program led by the Provincial Council for Maternal and Child Health (PCMCH) to improve care continuity, collaboration, and service delivery in keeping with the needs and requirements of children/youth with medical complexity (CMC) and their families. The program aims to provide integrated and coordinated care across

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Low Risk Birth

The Clinical Handbook for Low Risk Birth aims to address the variation in caesarean section rates across the province in the low-risk patient, promote normal birth and improve patient outcomes by focusing on delivery of standardized evidence-informed practices. The Clinical Handbook for Low Risk Birth was originally developed as part of the Ontario Health System

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