In this section :

  • Severe Illness Getting Noticed Sooner (SIGNS)

What’s inside

An easy-to-use communication toolkit which contains key messages, posts to share on social media and a story for newsletters. The more people we reach, the more we can improve safety, care and well-being for all involved.

SIGNS Free Digital Downloads

Access free digital resources to promote the SIGNS resource to Spot Severe Illness in Infants, Children & Adolescents resource at your organization and on social media.

Download a variety of images to use on social media, your website, through email, at your school, community setting, health and care facility.

Printable Posters

Downloadable Images

Who developed this resource?

An expert panel consisting of parents and multi-disciplinary providers created the Severe Illness Getting Noticed Sooner (SIGNS)-for-Kids as a public health tool to help parents and caregivers identify and articulate the manifestations of severe illness in children.

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the expert panel members of the SIGNS for Kids Consortium:

Christopher Parshuram MB.ChB, D.Phil., Kristen Middaugh RN, BScN, Dawn Hartfield BSc Med, MPH, MD, FRCPC , Joelle Fawcett-Arsenault PHEc (parent representative), Melissa Jones BA MA (parent representative), Gregory Moore MD, MSt (c), FRCPC, Karen Dryden-Palmer MSN, RN, Simran Singh RN, BScN, ENC, Ann Bayliss MD, FRCPC, David Bayfield MD,CCFP(EM), Sean Murray MD, FRCPC, Jonathan Gilleland MD, FRCPC , Martin McNamara MD, CCFP (EM), Michelle Gordon MD, FRCPC, Lisa Ladouceur PHC-NP, Anthony lacolucci HonBSc RRT, Jane Stuart-Minaret RN, BScN, MN, Mohamed Eltorki MD, Angelo Mikrogianakis  MD. Msc, Tania Principi MD, Seth Gray MD, Pragash Longonathan MD­, Hilary Whyte MB.­BCh. BAO. MSc. FRCPI. FRCPC, Helena Frndova Dipl-Ing, Zoe Parshuram BSc (Hons).

Use or reproduction of this resource is permitted within Canada for non-commercial purposes only. This resource is provided “as is” and is for informational/educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide specific medical advice or replace the judgment of a healthcare professional. Those preparing and/or contributing to this publication disclaim all liability or warranty of any kind, whether express or implied.

This work was supported by Healthcare Excellence Canada (HEC). HEC is an independent, not-for-profit charity funded primarily by Health Canada; the views expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of Health Canada.

Related programs

{{param_noEntriesMessage}}
{{currentEntry.friendlyTitle.length > 0 ? currentEntry.friendlyTitle : currentEntry.title}}
{{param_topicText}}: {{decodeURI(currentEntry.taxonomyList[0]).replaceAll('+', ' ').replaceAll('%26', '&')}}
{{param_publicationDateText}}: {{formatPublicationDate(currentEntry.publicationDate)}}
{{currentP == null?'...':' ' + (currentP + 1) + ' '}} /
{{param_noEntriesMessage}}
{{currentEntry.friendlyTitle.length > 0 ? currentEntry.friendlyTitle : currentEntry.title}}
{{param_topicText}}: {{decodeURI(currentEntry.taxonomyList[0]).replaceAll('+', ' ').replaceAll('%26', '&')}}
{{param_publicationDateText}}: {{formatPublicationDate(currentEntry.publicationDate)}}
{{currentP == null?'...':' ' + (currentP + 1) + ' '}} /