Before going to the emergency room for fever, gastroenteritis or mild flu symptoms
The emergency department should be reserved for children who are seriously sick or injured.
We recommend a trip to the emergency in the following cases:
- Your child is having trouble breathing (for example, he is breathing faster than normal; he is pale; his lips turn white or blue; he is coughing non-stop, choking or breathing irregularly).
- Your child is hurt and may have a broken bone or need stitches.
- Your child hurt himself and is now vomiting.
- Your infant (under three months old) has a fever over 38°C or 100.4°F.
- Your child is feverish and drowsy, and you are having trouble waking him up.
- Your child has a rash and his skin doesn't turn white if you press on it.
- Your child is vomiting and has diarrhea, is not producing tears, has a very dry mouth and has not urinated more than 2-3 times in the last 24 hours.
Parents are urged to consult their pediatrician or family doctor for anything other than a true emergency (as described above).
For the locations of these clinics or to speak to a nurse 24/7 about your child's medical condition, call Info-Santé at 8-1-1.
For the operating hours of network clinics and Montréal-area Health and Social Service Centres, go to the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Montréal website.
The classification method used by the triage nurse in order to determine your child’s priority level is based on a five-level scale according to the Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS).