Waiting room oral rehydration in the paediatric emergency department.

Oral rehydration is well established in the treatment of acute gastroenteritis, however it is profoundly underutilised as a treatment in the hospital setting. We introduced a protocol of waiting room oral rehydration for children presenting to the Paediatric Emergency Department with vomiting and/or diarrhoea. These children were given oral rehydration from the time of triage prior to medical assessment. During the study period, 251 children presented 269 times with vomiting and/or diarrhoea, of which 205 (76%) were diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. A similar period 1 year previously was used as comparison, during which 129 children were diagnosed with acute gastroenteritis. During the study period, 58 children (28%) were given intravenous fluids and 47 (23%) were admitted, compared with 72 (56%) given intravenous fluids and 42 (32%) admitted in the comparison group. This protocol is now part of our routine management of children presenting with symptoms of acute gastroenteritis. Waiting room oral rehydration is a simple yet successful intervention that can be implemented in any Emergency Department.