Accident and Emergency

[SaxyJag]

If a fourteen year-old was rushed into A&E and diagnosed with either:

a) a hairline fracture to the skull, following a fall, or

b) food poisoning,

which wards/departments would they be admitted to assuming they were to be kept in.

Also, with either, would it be reasonable to be kept in for a couple of nights' 'observation'?

[LazyGun]

I would have thought that in the case of a hairline skull fracture they would almost certainly be kept in for a night or so for observation.

Food poisoning.... I suppose it depends entirely on its severity whether they would be kept in.

In either case, I would have thought a 14 year old would be on the medical paediatric ward(s)

[joby1]

medical assessment unit for an overnight stay?

[ELVIS68]

After a four hour wait in a corridor on a trolley or in the waiting room which resembles Heathrow departure lounge in peak season, I would expect them to be told to go home and take some paracetamol

[alijangra]

would be inclined to agree with joby1

[curiosity]

I'm assuming this is for the book? Food Poisoning can cause dehydration, which may need a drip to rehydrate if fluids are not being kept in (either end) My sister ended up in hospital a week with Salmonella. My son was kept in 2 nights when he was 2 for dehydration during a stomach bug, he had small amounts of fluids every hour (no drip). So it is feasible. A 14 yearold would go from A&E to a Paediatric medical ward.

[SaxyJag]

So if the two kids were in hospital at the same time, how likely is it they'd end up on the same ward, assuming they didn't meet up in A&E.

[curiosity]

Very likely, Unlike adult wards where they have general surgical or general medical wards for specialist operations or illnesses, paediatric wards tend to do everything unless a hospital has more specialist peadiatric wards for say orthopedics. However, there is still a way around it, in that the Home & Hospital teaching service (part of LEA) provide education for kids in hospital and would do this in a common room for kids who were fit enough to go to it from their beds.

[SaxyJag]

I spoke to Matron this evening. She says it would depend on the size of hospital and the maturity of the patients. Head injury would be likely to go to paediatric because of the specialist nursing involved. Food poisoning would most likely be a general medical ward. Whatever, in a large hospital, the patients would be unlikely to meet up.

Which is the answer I wanted, so that's OK.