I've always assumed that when you go to the Emergency Department of a hospital, you will be assessed immediately by a triage nurse. If your condition is life-threatening - you have a bullet wound in your chest, or your unconscious - you'll be seen by medical staff immediately. If your condition can wait, you'll be told to line up like everybody else.
A few months back, we took our daughter in to Emergency. Here's what happened (from Charlene):
Here's the part that just baffles me. When we arrived at the ER there were NO nurses in at the reception triage to assess incoming patients - None. After waiting patiently for two or three minutes I requested attention from a registration staff person. They paged a nurse. No response. We had obviously arrived during a shift change. It was a full ten minutes before staff arrived to triage Christina and another individual who had arrived before we did. Have I missed an annoucement? When did "back in 10 minutes" become acceptable intake practice at an Ontario hospital Emergency Department?
I contacted the hospital and was amazed to get this response:
I have spoken with the Patient Care Manager of the Emergency Department. She has informed me, with regards to the triage nurse response times, that seeing a patient within 10 minutes of arrival to the Emergency Department fits within our hospital standard and is also reflective of the Ministry of Health standard.
So if you walk in and you're having a heart attack, or you have a child who's not breathing, and there's nobody there to help you for ten minutes, that is within hospital standards.
Amazing. I think I'll be following up on this.
If it wouldn't get you arrested for fraud, you could try this: go in to emergency and complain of chest pains. You'll get service in under ten minutes. Emergency departments have priority lists and chest pains is at the top. I have been bumped up in the line at emerg. because my condition was severe and the nurses there knew me and what was wrong with me.
If you really want neglect, try waiting for a doctor.
Seeing how this is a Christian blog, let's ask about how this relates to the commandments to react to the difficulties of life in ways that are different from those who do not know Christ. I think your anger may be justified seeing how it is in relation to your daughter. Would it be different if it was just you who had been forced to wait?
I put in two shifts (two hours each) a week as a volunteer, placed in the ED of my local hospital. I've learned a great deal of how ED's run, some of the issues involved in the process of providing rapid treatment to patients, and support to loved ones. I'd suggest that you contact the Volunteer Services section at your hospital to see if you can line up some hours in service at the public entrance at ED. Such a placement offers priceless opportunities to teach and learn!
Ken:
The disturbing thing is that nobody was around to respond even if someone did come in with chest pains or if they weren't breathing. Absolutely no medical staff around to prioritize or respond.
Great insight into how to respond to this - it's both an issue that has touched us personally, but it's more the thought of what could happen to anybody that concerns me.
John:
Not a bad suggestion.
Darryl,
Good points.
For the sake of others something like this needs to be pursued. Good for you for your heart for the unknown person who may suffer if they encounter the same lack of service.
I just don't see why it's assumed that we have the right to instant service. Some countries have little or nothing. Why does Ontario owe instant service to anyone?
Some countries don't have hospitals either, but I always expected that where a hospital is present and open, and someone showed up with a life-threatening condition, medical staff might be somewhere around.
I think "emergency" implies instant service. Plus, consider the fact that Canadians pay all of their income to the government until, what, July? That ought to purchase good emergency care.
Here in the DR there is no emergency, no ambulance, nothing. But we don't pay tax either.
A few years back I took a man to the Emerg who had just had his nose punched in. It wasn't broken in such a way to be life threatening, but it was really painful for him.
After registering, we were told to sit and wait until someone could see him. After an hour, I asked when someone would see him. I was informed that there wasn't anyone in the building who could see him, and wouldn't be for another three hours. I took him to a different hospital in a different town, and he was seen right away.
What burned me wasn't having to wait. What burned me was they didn't even have the courtesy to tell us how long we'd have to wait.
Thankfully the situation is better now... but small town living can be rough!
What really gets my goat is taking a friend to the emergency department at our local hospital KNOWING that there is a doctor in the house, but being forced to wait for three hours anyway.
Why? Because the nurses have been told not to wake him up unless the patient is at death's door. (Admittedly it was after midnight, but still.....)
Darryl,
I'm down in the U.S. right now. I've had numerous discussions with people who have to make the choice between food or healthcare.
My daughter has Asthma and we've had to take her into the hospital numerous times. I've never found the staff to be anything but professional. Yes, we had to wait but when I look at the alternative (a $1000 bill for 2-days in the hospital). Or if the alternative was $600 per month for healthcare insurance.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with Canadian Healthcare. Yes, the wait times could be better, and we have a problem with all the baby boomers. But it's still better then the alternative.
Rob
I hate waiting at Emergency, but I really can't complain about it. But to me, having no one to assess patients is something entirely different. If I bring in a child with an ear infection, I accept I will have to wait. If I bring in a child who is not breathing, I expect that someone will be there right away.
As Darryl has already attempted to say twice above, I feel that it is necessary to repeat that our concern is not about "wait" time and priority of people's conditions. The issue was a complete absence of any medical personnel from the ER (even after the clerical staff member paged them).
I am hopeful that the response from the hospital, that Darryl has posted above, reflects their lack of understanding of the situation and not actual operating criteria.