A multidisciplinary group of physicians at Seattle Children’s has developed a management guideline for patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although there is no treatment with proven efficacy for COVID-19, this guidance will help with risk stratification and outlines evaluation and treatment approaches that should be considered. Current evidence for various investigational agents is also included. This guidance was developed with resources and capabilities at Seattle Children’s in mind. It will be updated periodically as more evidence becomes available.
The guidelines are currently being used by a multidisciplinary group at Seattle Children’s who review and discuss each patient before making recommendations based on current guidelines. These are general guidelines; as with most guidelines, clinical correlation is required. Read full post »
For a summary of Seattle Children’s news and information about COVID-19, read our Provider FAQs.
1. COVID-19 in Kids: Seattle Children’s Testing Shows 1.5% Positivity Rate
Seattle Children’s has tested 1,757 patients as of April 15, with 19 patients testing positive and 7 inconclusive, for an overall positivity rate of 1.5%. Seventeen patients who tested positive are recovering at home, two are hospitalized.
COVID-19 cases in children make up less than 2% of reported cases in the U.S., according to the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (April 7, 2020).
2. COVID-19 Scheduling Triage Extended to June 30
The triage standards instituted by Seattle Children’s for scheduling have been extended to June 30. The standards provide a consistent approach to scheduling across all specialties and locations and will minimize our scheduling backlog once standard operations resume.
Please note, scheduling triage standards apply to both new and return appointments.
Tier 1: Patients who need to be seen in person by the provider before July 1
- Clinical situation that could be compromised by delay in care and requires physical examination to support clinical decision-making
Tier 2: Patients who can be seen with a telephone or telehealth visit — can be scheduled at any time.
- Follow up care where the physical exam is not essential to decision making
- Key physical exam or imaging findings may be obtained by other means (e.g., PACS, photos, etc.)
- Referrals/consults that can be assessed with a telephone or telehealth visit
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When health officials learned a Seattle Children’s patient tested positive for the novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) in late February, it sent a ripple through health and scientific communities nationwide. It was the first example of community transmission in the state of Washington, indicating the virus causing COVID-19 had likely been spreading in Seattle and the surrounding region undetected.
It was a moment Seattle Children’s had prepared to face since establishing an incident command center more than one month prior. From this command center, teams from across the organization met to support advance planning and coordinate actions for a potential COVID-19 surge in the region.
“Before there were any confirmed cases in the U.S., Seattle Children’s anticipated the potential for an outbreak in our region,” says CEO Dr. Jeff Sperring. “Over the past several weeks, we have provided specialized training for our team, established strict protocols for health and hygiene, and consolidated essential supplies so we would be ready to protect our patients.” Read full post »
Seattle Children’s Urology has updated its referral guidelines and created new resources for primary care providers to help them manage urologic conditions in primary care and know when to refer to a specialist. For details, visit Urology’s “Refer a Patient” page which includes these new resources:
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Seattle Children’s has hosted several panel presentations on COVID-19 that are now available to view on our YouTube channel:
- Coping During COVID-19. These are challenging times, and almost everything about our daily lives looks different. This Facebook Live panel covered how we can best manage the changes that COVID-19 brings and how to support our children during this time. Seattle Children’s also offers other resources to support mental wellness and family life during COVID-19.
- COVID-19: The Seattle Children’s Experience. Children’s Infectious Disease, Hospital Medicine and Emergency Medicine experts shared their experiences from the front lines at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States. Topics included epidemiology, clinical presentation, and lab testing availabilities; infection control issues, including PPE shortages; institutional response to COVID-19, including employee testing; emergency services preparation and care; and potential antivirals and upcoming treatment guidelines. The session concluded with a Q&A on how you can prepare.
- Confronting Tragic Choices in the Midst of a Pandemic. Our community is facing unprecedented challenges to our healthcare system. Fortunately, our regional disaster healthcare network is one of the few in the country that has been focused on planning around a severe pandemic. This panel discussion examined how decisions are made when resources are scarce.
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Seattle Children’s is officially calling a close to the influenza season due to the significant drop-off in (non-COVID-19) respiratory viruses detected during the last two weeks of testing.
To help contain the spread of COVID-19 in our community, Seattle Children’s has canceled large group gatherings taking place at our facilities, including those with attendees from the community (e.g. CMEs, classes, conferences, PALS courses, etc.). Please check with event organizers if you have questions or need additional information. If you are registered for an event and it is moved to WebeEx only, event organizers will notify you.
Seattle Children’s new Building Care officially “topped out” in late March as construction workers placed the building’s top beam in position. The 310,000 square foot facility, scheduled to open in spring 2022, will serve as the new “front door” to Seattle Children’s.
Grand Rounds will not be held in-person. We hope you can join us remotely via WebEx. Questions can be submitted for the speaker through the chat option in the WebEx meeting window.
View the WebEx information and Online Grand Rounds Video links.
April 2, 2020: Climate Action, Seattle Children’s and You. Colleen Groll, MSN, LEED AP BD+C. manager, Sustainability Programs, Seattle Children’s.
April 9, 2020: Using Social Media for Medical Education, Networking, and Knowledge Sharing. Anita Thomas, MD, MPH. Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Seattle Children’s
April 16, 2020: You Can’t Trust a Toddler: A Contemporary Review of Aerodigestive Foreign Bodies. John Dahl, MD, PhD, MBA; assistant professor in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, UW; Otolaryngology, Craniofacial, Vascular Anomalies, Seattle Children’s. Read full post »
For a summary of Seattle Children’s news and information about COVID-19, read our Provider FAQs.
1. Algorithms for Patient Screening at Entrances
All patients and visitors are being screened for COVID-19 at our facility entrances. As we learn more about the coronavirus and the symptoms it can cause, we’ll continue to assess our entrance screening process and make adjustments as necessary to help keep our workforce members and patients safe. Based on recent findings about the virus, we have added additional symptoms to our entrance screening process.
View our screening algorithms for:
Visitors to the Lab who screen positive will be escorted to a negative pressure room and have their labs drawn in the negative pressure room, rather than diverted to the ED.
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