Seoul St. Mary's Hospital held a blessing ceremony to wish for the stable operation of its recently opened pediatric emergency medical center, the hospital said Wednesday.
In May, Seoul St. Mary's Hospital was designated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) as a pediatric emergency medical center responding to pediatric emergency patients 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The move came after persistent calls for dedicated infrastructure, as children and adolescents account for about 17.0% of all emergency room patients and require careful approaches and judgments based on factors such as age and physical growth.
The hospital established an independent space next to the emergency medical center on the first floor of the main building, with patient flow and treatment areas separated from those of adult patients. The aim is to block the risk of secondary infection that can occur in pediatric and adolescent patients and to enhance their psychological stability.
Pediatric emergency medical specialists are stationed at the center 24 hours a day. To strengthen infectious disease response capabilities and the efficiency of linked treatment, the hospital also separately built a dedicated pediatric emergency space equipped with inpatient rooms, negative pressure isolation beds, general isolation beds, and intensive care beds. The hospital plans to expand the center's capacity so it becomes a key hub responding to the entire process of emergency conditions, including severe pediatric and adolescent emergency patients within the region.
"Unlike adults, pediatric emergency patients have limited ability to express symptoms and their condition changes quickly, so the first response often determines the prognosis," said Bae Woo-ri, director of the pediatric emergency medical center. "We will do our best to ensure that severe pediatric emergency patients do not miss the golden hour by expanding hotline operations and the in-hospital fast-track system."
