Edmonton doctors address issue of long ER wait times
According to emergency room doctors, backlogs have become a serious issue in Edmonton area ERs, as well as those in the rest of the province, so a series of meeting was recently held to try and determine what steps could be taken to alleviate the problem.
Those who attended the meeting included ER doctors from four different Edmonton hospitals, as well as emergency physicians form Calgary. They developed a list of areas where change is needed, and they are now beginning to work through the matter of addressing the items, developing initiatives that support the recommendations.
One of the major problems that was noted was the long wait times. According to the doctors, one of the main reasons for this is that beds in other areas of the hospital are being used as long-term care beds due to a lack of facilities in Alberta. This is beginning to be addressed, as the province has opened several hundred more spaces in long-term and supportive care facilities.
Another issue that was identified was people using the ER instead of their family doctors due to limited hours that their primary care physician is available. It was felt that increasing these hours could reduce the number of people using the emergency room.
Letting people know that they should try and use the services of their own family doctor or a walk-in clinic, whenever possible, can play a role in reducing wait time. Poster printing companies can create materials that do just this.
Those who attended the meeting included ER doctors from four different Edmonton hospitals, as well as emergency physicians form Calgary. They developed a list of areas where change is needed, and they are now beginning to work through the matter of addressing the items, developing initiatives that support the recommendations.
One of the major problems that was noted was the long wait times. According to the doctors, one of the main reasons for this is that beds in other areas of the hospital are being used as long-term care beds due to a lack of facilities in Alberta. This is beginning to be addressed, as the province has opened several hundred more spaces in long-term and supportive care facilities.
Another issue that was identified was people using the ER instead of their family doctors due to limited hours that their primary care physician is available. It was felt that increasing these hours could reduce the number of people using the emergency room.
Letting people know that they should try and use the services of their own family doctor or a walk-in clinic, whenever possible, can play a role in reducing wait time. Poster printing companies can create materials that do just this.