Patient discussions
Patients admitted to hospital
Before discharging a child or young person who has been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and treated in hospital:[2]
Consider their follow-up requirements, taking into account potential cognitive, neurological, developmental, orthopaedic, skin, hearing, psychosocial, education and renal morbidities.
Discuss potential long-term effects and likely patterns of recovery with the child or young person and their parents or carers; provide opportunities to discuss issues and ask questions.
Offer children and young people and their parents or carers:[2]
Information about their main point of contact immediately after discharge
Contact details of patient support organisations including meningitis charities. Meningitis Now Opens in new window
Offer a formal audiological assessment as soon as possible, within 4 weeks of being fit to test, and preferably before discharge from hospital.[2]
If the child or young person has severe or profound deafness, offer an urgent assessment for cochlear implants as soon as they are fit to undergo testing.[2] See Assessment of hearing loss.
Ensure children and young people are reviewed by a paediatrician (with the results of their hearing test) 4-6 weeks after hospital discharge to discuss morbidities associated with their condition and be offered referral to appropriate services.[2]
Inform the child’s or young person’s general practitioner, health visitor, and school nurse (if at school) about their bacterial meningitis.[2] Coordinate care after discharge with the following professionals:[2]
Tertiary and primary care and other specialists
Allied professionals and community teams that will be involved in follow-up (e.g., speech and language therapy, and psychology departments)
Patients seen in hospital or the community and not admitted to hospital
If your initial assessment rules out any suspicion of bacterial meningitis and you decide the patient can be managed in the community, ensure you give thorough safety netting advice.[2][74]
Encourage the parent/patient to trust their instincts and seek medical help again if the illness gets worse, even if this is shortly after the patient was seen.
Give advice on accessing further health care and ensure the parent/patient understands how to get medical help after normal working hours.
Provide information on symptoms of serious illness, including how to identify a non-blanching rash and the tumbler test.
Suggest follow-up within a specified period if you consider this to be appropriate. Use your clinical judgement.
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