Hunter New England Health, in partnership with the Northern Child Health Network, has finalised its roll-out of new guidelines for clinicians caring for children presenting to hospital Emergency Departments throughout the area.

No matter which hospital a child presents at, families will be given access to the latest, evidence based care, according to Clinical Nurse Consultant for Paediatrics, Helen Stevens.

She said the implementation of the Acute Paediatric Clinical Practice Guidelines throughout the whole of Hunter New England Health has seen it’s final stages in the past week, concluding in Manilla.

"With the roll-out taking place right across the state, patients and families alike will have access to the same care for children at all facilities," she said.

"Whenever a parent brings a child to the Emergency Department with one of the illnesses covered by these guidelines, as part of treatment they will be given a copy of a Fact Sheet explaining the illness and the most effective way to treat it.

The fact sheet also outlines what treatment will be given in the Emergency Department, what to expect when the child is discharged and when to return for further assistance.

"For example, it is proven that children with mild to moderate dehydration, generally due to gastroenteritis, are best treated by oral re-hydration methods as apposed to Intravenous fluids," she said.

"Best practice guidelines have also been established for asthma management, with the routine use of spacer devices to deliver the medication.

"These spacers and puffers are proven to be as efficient in treating mild asthma as the traditional nebuliser. The greatest benefit is the parents are able to take the device home and are competent and confident in treating their children’s asthma symptoms themselves," says Ms Stevens.

The aim of these guidelines is to promote a standard of care in paediatrics across the region by implementing clinically proven, best practice procedures consistently across the state.

"Not all children fit onto a guideline however. The guidelines will never replace your doctor’s assessment but they provide a good evidence-based foundation," Ms Stevens said.

There have been many partners involved in the development of these guidelines, with the John Children’s Hunter Hospital, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and Sydney Children’s Hospital all endorsing the fact sheets as an effective and clear method of communication with the patients and their families.

With these guidelines, most children with mild illness can receive treatment closer to home," says Ms Stevens.

She also said that the short term and long term benefits of using best practice guidelines include safer, better health care for paediatric patients, saving public health dollars, reducing the strain on families caused by travelling and ultimately making the road to recovery a lot easier for the patients.

"Children recover much faster in a familiar environment, surrounded by family and friends," says Ms Stevens.