Advancing Pediatric Meningitis Care Through Collaboration
October 5 marks World Meningitis Day, a reminder of the urgent need for awareness, timely diagnosis, and effective care. To improve awareness and outcomes for children with meningitis, TREKK teamed up with IWK Health, valued partners dedicated to advancing children’s health. Funding from the Thistledown Foundation through the IWK Foundation, supported this work.
This collaboration has focused on turning critical evidence into practical, accessible resources for both families and healthcare providers.
A key milestone was the release of three new educational videos:
- For Parents: a video to help caregivers understand what to expect when their child is assessed in the emergency department for suspected meningitis.
- For Healthcare Providers: Lumbar Puncture in Pediatrics – step-by-step instruction video for non-pediatric emergency clinicians on performing this essential procedure.
- For the Community: a video to provide health information and resources on Meningitis B
These resources reflect TREKK and the IWK’s shared commitment to ensuring families and providers have trustworthy, evidence-based information when they need it most.
The project also extended into national knowledge-sharing platforms: Drs. Shannon McPhee and Jeanette Comeau joined EM Cases to discuss the latest on pediatric meningitis.
While full project results will be published later this year, many of the Meningitis resources for healthcare providers are already available on trekk.ca. They offer clinicians practical guidance to support timely diagnosis and management in emergency settings.
This partnership exemplifies TREKK’s vision: that every child should receive the highest standard of emergency care, no matter where they live. Together, we are closing knowledge gaps, strengthening the bridge between research and practice, and ultimately helping to save lives.
We extend our sincere thanks to the Thistledown Foundation and IWK Foundation for their invaluable support. Also thank you to the IWK Health team: Shannon MacPhee, Krystal Forrest, Barb Blackie, Alyson Holland, and Eleanor Fitzpatrick, for their dedication to this important work.