Resources

2026  |  Guidelines & Standards

Ontario Health, in collaboration with CritiCall Ontario, has updated the neurosurgical guidelines to support evidence-based (modified Brain Injury Guideline – mBIG) management of adult traumatic brain injury (TBI).

The pathway supports Emergency Department (ED) clinicians in the assessment and management of adult patients presenting with low-risk traumatic brain injury. 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.

Intercranial hemorrhage, brain tumour and spinal cord injury guidelines are under revision.

2025  |  Guidelines & Standards

Critical Care Services Ontario (CCSO), now part of Ontario Health, and The Ministry of Health have updated the Life or Limb Policy (2025). The purpose of the Life or Limb Policy is to facilitate timely access and transfer of patients, who have an episode of time-sensitive, treatable, and critical illness (i.e., are life or limb threatened), to an appropriate level of acute care services for interventions that would improve patient outcomes (loss of life or limb is certain if transfer does not occur within 4 hours).

2024  |  Guidelines & Standards

These Guidelines are meant to facilitate consultations and/or transfers to a Burn Centre and should be applied using clinical judgement. Final decision to transfer remains at the discretion of the referring and receiving physicians.

2024  |  Guidelines & Standards

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

2023  |  Guidelines & Standards

​This document provides an overview of the roles and responsibilities for the provincial ventilator stockpile as well as procedures for requesting, releasing, and returning stockpile ventilators and HFNC.

2023  |  Guidelines & Standards

Paediatric Levels of Care Guidance document, approved by Paediatric Critical Care Advisory committee of CCSO (October 2023), describes the criteria and capabilities of Level 2 and Level 3 PICUs in Ontario at the unit level. The purpose of this document is to serve as a guidance for both level 2 and level 3 PICUs currently operating, as well as those in the planning phase of developing new PICUs.

2023  |  Guidelines & Standards

Algorithm that describes step-by-step the process for declaring a moderate surge. ​

2022  |  Guidelines & Standards

Ontario Trauma Centres: Minimum Standards define expectations for adult and paediatric level I, level II, and level III trauma centres regarding their system role, capacity, and capabilities.

2021  |  Guidelines & Standards

The standards have been developed to identify optimal neonatal nursing knowledge, skills, and competencies with the intent to establish a common standards for neonatal nursing practice within the province of Ontario.

2021  |  Guidelines & Standards

The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Levels of Care Guidance Document, developed by CCSO’s NICU Levels of Care Task Force, outlines the expected service level of care to be provided in all Level 2 and Level 3 NICUs across Ontario.
 
For more information about Perinatal and Birthing Levels of Care (Newborn Level 1, and Perinatal and Birthing Levels 1 through 3), please refer to PCMCH’s Perinatal, Birthing and Newborn Levels of Care Guidance Document.

2019  |  Guidelines & Standards

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.​

2018  |  Guidelines & Standards

The Practice Standards for Critical Care Nursing in Ontario identify desirable and achievable critical care nursing knowledge and competencies, in an effort to standardize critical care nursing practice across hospitals.