Consultation Guidelines
The physicians who provide consultations through CritiCall Ontario are specialists working in tertiary hospitals throughout Ontario. They are not employed by CritiCall Ontario and are often working hard to care for patients within their own hospitals while answering calls from CritiCall Ontario. In order to support the consulting specialists in providing efficient and comprehensive consultations to their peers, Consultation Guidelines have been created for several specialties. These guidelines provide additional detail to physicians who require a specific type of consultation for their patient. Consultation Guidelines, developed by Critical Care Services Ontario (CCSO) in conjunction with provincial specialty groups and stakeholders, including the Provincial Neurosurgery Ontario and the Ontario Trauma Advisory Council, are available for download below.
(NEW) 2026 Brain Injury Guidelines (mBIG)
The modified Brain Injury Guideline (mBIG) pathway supports Emergency Department (ED) clinicians in the assessment and management of adult patients presenting with low-risk traumatic brain injury. Early adoption of the Ontario mBIG pathway is being supported through CritiCall Ontario. Eligible, low acuity adult brain trauma patient care may be supported by an ED Peer physician who will be providing real-time coaching and mentoring, clinical decision support, and guidance on the application of mBIG criteria for Ontario patients.
This approach enables early adoption of the Ontario mBIG pathway while maintaining access for neurosurgery consultation services.
Clinical pathways and supporting materials are available on the right.
Intercranial hemorrhage, brain tumour and spinal cord injury guidelines are under revision.
Burn Centre Consultation Guidelines
The Burn Centre Consultation Guidelines provide clear pathways to clinicians at referring hospitals to determine when to request an urgent consultation with a Burn Centre through CritiCall Ontario. These guidelines will ensure timely communication and delivery of comprehensive care to burn patients.
Burn Management Checklists
The Burn Management Checklists support clinicians at referring hospitals in managing patients with burn injuries closer to home. These checklists are meant to aid in clinical decision-making and are not a replacement for a consultation with a burn surgeon/centre facilitated by CritiCall Ontario.
1. Checklist: Outpatient Burn Management
2. Checklist: Isolated Inhalation Injury Management
3. Checklist: Electrical Injury Management
4. Checklist: Burn Resuscitation Management
Trauma Consultation Guidelines
These Guidelines are meant to facilitate consultations and/or transfers of patients from referring hospitals to Lead Trauma Hospitals. They are created to encourage referring physicians to use CritiCall Ontario for both consultations and transfers. The document provides examples of the anatomical criteria and physiological criteria when assessing a patient’s need for transfer to a Lead Trauma Hospital.
Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) Guidance Document for Ontario Hospitals
The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the consideration of appropriately timed Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) for adult critical care patients. These guidelines are for use by intensivists in Level 3 critical care units managing patients with respiratory or cardiac failure that may continue to deteriorate despite treatment options already attempted.
Emergency Medicine Resources
Translating Emergency Knowledge for Kids (TREKK) contains clinical guidelines for pediatric emergency patients.
BC Emergency Medicine Network contains clinical guidelines for adult emergency patients.
Ontario Health - CorHealth Resources
Ontario Health – CorHealth Ontario provides strategic leadership to improve cardiac, stroke and vascular services for patients in Ontario. The resources to the right have been made available.
Telestroke Resources
The Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) has created the following resources to help guide the Telestroke referral process.