Will my child have to go to hospital?

Information for the public

Most children with bronchiolitis can be cared for at home, but some will need to go to hospital for more checks to see if they need to be looked after there. Your healthcare professional will discuss with you what they think is the best choice for your child, based on what they found when examining your child and what you have told them about how ill your child has been and your home life.

Sometimes, hospital will also be the best option if:

you live a long way away from a doctor or healthcare centre
you're worried that you won't be able to tell for sure if your child is getting worse.

If your child is very ill, they may need to go to hospital straight away by ambulance.

Before deciding if your child can go home or should stay in hospital, the healthcare team should check:

how much oxygen is in their blood using pulse oximetry (see does my child have bronchiolitis?)
whether they are feeding well and are well hydrated (have enough water in their bodies).