The Emergency Clinic

The OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic treats illnesses in children and adolescents under 16 years of age in cases where treatment cannot wait until the next working day.

The OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic treats illnesses in children and adolescents under 16 years of age, which, if not treated within 24 hours or on weekends, would pose a significant health risk.

What Should I Do if My Child Suddenly Falls Ill? 

• On weekdays from 8:00 to 16:00 emergency patients are primarily treated at their own health centre. If necessary, a primary health care physician will make a referral to the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic, if the child is found to need more detailed assessment and examinations within specialised medical care. An exception to this is children in need of specialised medical care, who are treated at the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic regardless of the time of day (see list of these symptoms below).
• Outside official working hours (weekdays after 16:00 and weekends), all emergency visits for children and adolescents, with the exception of injuries, are taken care of at the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic. Children’s and young people’s injuries are treated at the Oulu Region Joint Emergency Clinic, where the Surgical Emergency Clinic also operates.

You can always come to the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic with the following symptoms without a referral and at any time of the day: 

• Children experiencing a seizure for the first time who have an unspecified reason for a disturbance in consciousness
• Children under 3 months of age with fever, a respiratory infection or who are otherwise clearly ill
• Children with very severe shortness of breath or a strong suspicion of a foreign body in their airway
• Boys with sudden onset of testicular pain (possible testicles torsion)
• Paediatric patients whose condition requires specialised health care examinations and treatment: e.g. poisoning patients requiring hospital monitoring
• Children who have already been hospitalized due to the same illness and whose symptoms continue or worsen

Those arriving at the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic will be assessed for need and urgency of care. After the assessment, the treatment will continue either (1) at the Paediatric Emergency Clinic or (2) at a paediatric ward. Alternatively, if no hospital treatment is needed, the necessary advice and guidance will be provided during the emergency visit and the child will be discharged.

Patients who remain in the emergency clinic are treated according their urgency, not in the order of arrival. Patients may need to wait for their treatment. A guardian may come with the child to the emergency clinic to support and provide security for the child in all circumstances. For younger children, the guardian must be present at the emergency clinic and take care of the child during the emergency treatment.

Additional Information to Support the Emergency Department Visit

Arriving at the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Department

The OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic is located on Kajaanintie 50, 90220 Oulu. The entrance is through the LC door. You can find maps and parking spaces in the hospital map service. Go to Guides and Maps. (LINKKI)

Parents and Siblings 

One or two healthy guardians can come with the child to the OYS Paediatric Emergency Clinic. For younger children, the guardian must be present at the emergency clinic and take care of the child during the emergency treatment. A guardian may support and safeguard the child in all circumstances.

Siblings should not be present at the OYS Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic. Healthy siblings are at risk of contracting potentially serious infections treated at the emergency clinic. If the siblings accompany the parent to the emergency department, the parent must be able to take care of the ill child as well as their siblings throughout the whole emergency clinic visit.

 

Contact information for the Paediatric and Youth Emergency Clinic

Visiting Address: 
OYS LC entrance, 1st floor
When arriving, ring the doorbell next to the front door.

 Telephone: 
Medical Helpline:
116 117 (primary)

Paediatric Emergency Department switchboard: 
+358 8 315 5260 (if the matter concerns an emergency clinic visit at the Paediatric Emergency Department during the previous week)