Hospital Emergency Department Experience.

[farmaholic]

Wow, what a place. My Dad was instructed to use the E.R. department the day after he had a procedure. Not by appointment though.

We got him there about 1 p.m., admitted in, saw Triage fairly quickly, waited for X-ray but had that fairly quickly.
Then the real waiting began.....never saw anyone until about 9 p.m. a little earlier than that he was moved out of the general waiting room area into a small room until he was finally moved again.

In all honesty, his condition WAS NOT an emergency but the department who performed the procedure instructed us to use the E.R. department.

I do understand the concept Triage and prioritizing and it should never be a first come first serve basis. Ambulances bringing people in on stretchers and real emergencies go to the front of the line.

Some admitted people got tired of waiting and left.

Some people obviously didn't need to be there.

Some are probably frequent visitors.

Then there's the people looking for a warm place to sleep....even if it's only the general waiting room area or in the entrance.

A prisoner comes in with leg irons and hands cuffed down to his side's. He was well behaved but supposedly got too high a dose of methadone in the clink.

Another man is strung out on something or coming down or in withdrawal and is very disruptive, abusive and yelling.

"Lifestyle" emergencies.....yikes.

And how are E.R. staff supposed to tell hypicondriacs they don't need to be there?

Would a small user fee curb some unnecessary E.R. "visits".

They kept my Dad overnight to re-do the same procedure he had.....maybe he needed to be there.

But wow....what an experience.....is it only a big city experience?

That's a place I certainly wouldn't want to be if I didn't have to be!

[jazz]

Ha farma, you have never seen our emergency rooms up close before? That's an education in itself.

Few yrs ago I though I was having a stroke. Face felt funny, hands tingling. Dad rushed me in and at the the triage counter 2 nurses working, one taking info from me and other from another man. Sir whats your condition. I think I am having a hear attack or stroke. Sir whats your condition, I just drank a 40 of vodka this morning. We both had to wait.

Turned out mine was a migraine headache.

And yes there are usually more police or security on staff than doctors. You cant imagine the sht that goes on in the belly of the beast.

[SASKFARMER]

Try ST Pauls in Saskatoon. Now, thats an eye-opener.

They need to have an ER for Colds and flu and broken fingers and toes and its Friday lets go to the DR. and an ER for serious shit.

[chuckChuck]

A lot of the people who end up in emergency are there because of the many social problems plaguing cities and rural areas.

That's why a lot of healthcare costs could be reduced by preventing them in the first place with good mental health programs, addiction programs, good housing and social programs to get people off the street and out of poverty.

The other major factor in poor health and emergency visits is poor diets and poor lifestyles with little exercise. Many disease are preventable.

[sk_wheatking]

Wow, what a place. My Dad was instructed to use the E.R. department the day after he had a procedure. Not by appointment though.

We got him there about 1 p.m., admitted in, saw Triage fairly quickly, waited for X-ray but had that fairly quickly.
Then the real waiting began.....never saw anyone until about 9 p.m. a little earlier than that he was moved out of the general waiting room area into a small room until he was finally moved again.

In all honesty, his condition WAS NOT an emergency but the department who performed the procedure instructed us to use the E.R. department.

I do understand the concept Triage and prioritizing and it should never be a first come first serve basis. Ambulances bringing people in on stretchers and real emergencies go to the front of the line.

Some admitted people got tired of waiting and left.

Some people obviously didn't need to be there.

Some are probably frequent visitors.

Then there's the people looking for a warm place to sleep....even if it's only the general waiting room area or in the entrance.

A prisoner comes in with leg irons and hands cuffed down to his side's. He was well behaved but supposedly got too high a dose of methadone in the clink.

Another man is strung out on something or coming down or in withdrawal and is very disruptive, abusive and yelling.

"Lifestyle" emergencies.....yikes.

And how are E.R. staff supposed to tell hypicondriacs they don't need to be there?

Would a small user fee curb some unnecessary E.R. "visits".

They kept my Dad overnight to re-do the same procedure he had.....maybe he needed to be there.

But wow....what an experience.....is it only a big city experience?

That's a place I certainly wouldn't want to be if I didn't have to be!

Who do you think is going to pay the user fee?

[sumdumguy]

Experience mother had with broken fingers- 6 hours with two fingers sticking the wrong way and people gagging in waiting room. Fingers Pulled to reset and bandaged in waiting room by flunky who left her wedding rings on. Well you can imagine next day swollen, blue fingers and the cutters used to dig the rings out of the flesh in the shop. All the Rassy Dr. Could say was, “no big deal, this happens to football players all the time”. Goto Moose Jaw or Fort QuAppelle.

[macdon02]

If you run your hand through the belts and pulley on the auger, pull starting it, service is excellent in ER. The ones that don't need to be there scurry pretty quick and the nurses come you. Helps if the blood is hitting the floor. I don't think trying it twice would be fun.

[furrowtickler]

Wow, what a place. My Dad was instructed to use the E.R. department the day after he had a procedure. Not by appointment though.

We got him there about 1 p.m., admitted in, saw Triage fairly quickly, waited for X-ray but had that fairly quickly.
Then the real waiting began.....never saw anyone until about 9 p.m. a little earlier than that he was moved out of the general waiting room area into a small room until he was finally moved again.

In all honesty, his condition WAS NOT an emergency but the department who performed the procedure instructed us to use the E.R. department.

I do understand the concept Triage and prioritizing and it should never be a first come first serve basis. Ambulances bringing people in on stretchers and real emergencies go to the front of the line.

Some admitted people got tired of waiting and left.

Some people obviously didn't need to be there.

Some are probably frequent visitors.

Then there's the people looking for a warm place to sleep....even if it's only the general waiting room area or in the entrance.

A prisoner comes in with leg irons and hands cuffed down to his side's. He was well behaved but supposedly got too high a dose of methadone in the clink.

Another man is strung out on something or coming down or in withdrawal and is very disruptive, abusive and yelling.

"Lifestyle" emergencies.....yikes.

And how are E.R. staff supposed to tell hypicondriacs they don't need to be there?

Would a small user fee curb some unnecessary E.R. "visits".

They kept my Dad overnight to re-do the same procedure he had.....maybe he needed to be there.

But wow....what an experience.....is it only a big city experience?

That's a place I certainly wouldn't want to be if I didn't have to be!

That would be a good day at the NB hospital lol

[jazz]

The mismanagement is so obviousl its not even funny and then the behavior by the patients in response is troubling as well. Drug addicts getting treatment before seniors and babies? Sorry shouldnt be that way.

The ER has learned to weed out the people that shouldnt be there. They just make them wait 6 hrs and that usually works.

So what do people do now to get in faster, fake chest pains and shortness of breath. What a scam.

And you know a good 24 hr medical clinic with a couple competent doctors could take off a huge burden from the ER.

[farmaholic]

Who do you think is going to pay the user fee?

I know sk_wheatking, there will always be that segment that couldn't afford to pay. But it might curb some of the abuse otherwise.

[AlbertaFarmer5]

How else to ration a product of service that is free, which creates unlimited demand, when supply is very much finite? I can't see any other way to limit a free service than to make it so uncomfortable that most will choose not to go rather than wait for half a day.

If the local store has a sale offering free cordless drills, no strings attached, and you go to discover that the lineup is around the block, and knowing that their supply is limited, most of us will decide our time is more valuable than to wait in line all day.

Whether that is by design or just an inevitable consequence, either way it has the same effect of rationing services until demand matches supply.

[sk_wheatking]

That would be a good day at the NB hospital lol

Yup, I feel sorry for the staff at hospitals like N.B. or P.A.
I think some leaders should have to spend a few days in those emergency and admitting areas or just the front doors for that matter, then do some soul searching for real answers to real problems. Walk in clinics are an absolute shit show as well, and I find that some doctors want to run as many patients that they can through the system on their shift to maximize their pay cheque! I visited a friend in st Paul's hospital in saskatoon, it's a border line war zone from the parking lot through the front doors and into the lobby!

[the big wheel]

Yup, I feel sorry for the staff at hospitals like N.B. or P.A.
I think some leaders should have to spend a few days in those emergency and admitting areas or just the front doors for that matter, then do some soul searching for real answers to real problems. Walk in clinics are an absolute shit show as well, and I find that some doctors want to run as many patients that they can through the system on their shift to maximize their pay cheque! I visited a friend in st Paul's hospital in saskatoon, it's a border line war zone from the parking lot through the front doors and into the lobby!

Yes why in the world is that St. Paul hospital in the middle of the worst part of the city? It’s outright dangerous to get to your car almost need a high security fence and one way in and out.
Also a pre emergency screening could help a lot also. But when I went there all the patients were legitimate that I saw. When they aren’t quite legitimate it’s because not enough can be done at the smaller town hospitals due to no equipment or not enough doctors. It’s a shit show for anyone further out to have anything sudden major happen.

[fjlip]

Dad had symptoms of stroke, assessed by paramedics within 30 minutes, 120 miles by ambulance, within 3 hours had a CT scan, found a subdural hematoma, a 30 minute operation within 6 hours, at RUH. Very pleased with all the staff and Dr's. All of them are young and sharp, courteous and understanding. He has recovered mostly, but nobody is ever going to be all back, at 97.

[SASKFARMER]

I also agree that the emergency department in RQH is excellent. A year ago my son had a blood clot. They move mountains when it’s life or death. Only shit show was because he was 16 still classed as a minor and had to have it done in Saskatoon.