three hours in QE2 emergency ... and still no doctor
Al Smith
emergency. My mother, who is 87, complained of pain in her ears.
She's been complaining of it for a week or so, and she said she
thought she should go to the emergency ward to get it looked at. I
had my misgivings, but took her, because she wanted to go.
Three hours we waited. It took them almost an hour just to shuffle
us into a little examination room. "Goody," says I, "it won't be
long now." I was in there with her because she's hard of hearing,
and I'm needed to answer questions.
We stayed in the little room for an hour with the door shut. My
mom, who gets tired very easily, climbed up on the examination
table and had a little nap. Then I opened the door and we waited
some more. My mom was afraid that maybe we'd been forgotten, so I
went to the head nurse. No, she said, we hadn't been forgotten. So
we waited some more.
After the first 2 1/2 hours my mother started asking me to take
her home, that they weren't ever going to come. I delayed, but
when a Saudi Arabian who had some reaction to a cat allergy, and
who had come into the hospital fifteen minutes after we did, was
treated ahead of us (I could hear the doctor doing the
examination) I finally decided that my mother was correct -- they
probably weren't ever coming. So we left and I took her home.
Three full hours in the hospital emergency ward -- no treatment
whatsoever. All we needed was a prescription for an antibiotic for
her ear infection (that's probably what it is). Would have taken
two minutes to look into her ears and write up the prescription.
What a joke health care is in Nova Scotia!
You may think this is unusual. Not so. A year or two ago my
brother went to the emergency ward with very bad asthma ...
life-threatening asthma. He could barely breathe. He's suffered
from serious asthma all his life and he knows when it's
life-threatening. He waited *four* hours before he finally got up
and left in disgust, without treatment. He could barely make it
home without passing out in the car. All through the four hours,
he told me he had drifting in and out of consciousness because he
couldn't get enough air. They did nothing for him.
I joked to my mom that someone could die in an examination room,
and wouldn't be found for hours. That was when we first went in.
After three hours of waiting, it wasn't funny any longer. I blame
it on Big Nurse, who could have taken my mother sooner but kept
passing her over.
a
>
You shouldn't have gone to the emerg for a prescription.
a
jordo
- in and out with my prescription in 20 minutes. :)
oldtrout
I think I have to agree.
There area lot of walk in clinics in the area now.
--
oldtrout - arsaidh-breac
GUM BI SI\TH LEAT
Heather Morrison
"Al Smith" <inv...@address.com> wrote in message
news:uzbSh.3915$Uf7.2312@edtnps89...
>I just spent a pleasant afternoon sitting in a little room in QE2
>emergency.
> After three hours of waiting, it wasn't funny any longer. I blame it on
> Big Nurse, who could have taken my mother sooner but kept passing her
> over.
Al,
Firstly, you should have taken her to a walk in clinic. That would be much
more appropriate than emergency.
Also, I just happen to spend a fair bit of time waiting in the QEII waiting
room and my average waits run between 3 and 7 hours depending on the issue
involved.
You are prioritized when you enter the emergency.
Sometimes one type of specialist is particularly busy over another type. It
depends who you were waiting to see.
I do agree that the health care system could improve in wait times at
emergency but you could have done both the system and your mother a better
service by either calling her regular doctor to see if someone was on call
or visiting a walk in clinic before opting for emergency.
toodles
HeatherM
Heather Morrison
"oldtrout" <no_...@home.ca> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.08....@home.ca...
> On Sun, 08 Apr 2007 19:52:10 +0000, a wrote:
>
>> Al Smith wrote:
>>>
>>
>> You shouldn't have gone to the emerg for a prescription.
>>
>> a
>
> I think I have to agree.
>
> There area lot of walk in clinics in the area now.
>
> --
> GUM BI SI\TH LEAT
>
Troutie,
I had to deal with walk in clinics yesterday. The one at superstore on
Portland opened at 12. We were there at 12 and they booked my patient for
aprox 1:25..yet the doctor had not arrived yet.
Since time was of the essence we contacted another clinic...Medicine in
Motion I think it is called..In Burnside. They took us immediately..nobody
there but us. Two patients arrived while my patient was being checked over.
Pleasant friendly staff with great facilities.
We were in and out of there in 30 minutes.
toodles
HeatherM
Al Smith
>>
>
> You shouldn't have gone to the emerg for a prescription.
>
> a
I'm not a doctor, so I don't know for sure she just needed a
prescription -- that's merely my guess. She was in pain. Still is,
although she isn't complaining now. Probably figures there's
nothing to be done.
Al Smith
Well, jeez, sorry I bothered to mention it.
Peter
> Well, jeez, sorry I bothered to mention it.
Having a problem being told there is a better alternative? Now you know
what to do next time.
oldtrout
Super?
And are you expecting? :-{)>
--
oldtrout - arsaidh-breac
Brian Smith
>I just spent a pleasant afternoon
<snipped for space>
Why didn't you go to the Cobequid Centre?
Better yet, why didn't your Mother go to her Family Doctor?
a
Take her to see her GP!
a
Gabby
It's called triage and in a busy emergency room an adult would be
lucky not to wait 7 or 8 hours with a complaint of earache.
Understand that just about anything else will be seen first, since the
triage levels are usually:
* Immediately life threatening (seen within minutes)
* Urgent, but not immediately life threatening (could be an hour
or more before you're seen by a doctor)
* Less urgent (you'll be seen after everything else more urgent
is taken care of ) .
When you go into our emerg dept there is a sign telling you how long
you're likely to wait to be taken care of if you are in the 'less
urgent' category. If you go in and it says '3 hours', register and
settle in with a good book, because what was 3 hours when you
registered could easily become 6 hours if anything more serious comes
in after you.
I've gone in to my Emerg with cardiac symptoms. In 3 hours I had 2
ECGs, full cardiac blood work up, repeated vitals, etc. Luckily the
tests all showed no cardiac problem and I ended up going back to the
office.
Going in with a deep finger laceration on Dec. 23, I waited much
longer and ended up having my finger crazy glued back together.
Rather glad that although it required medical attention it wasn't
serious enough to warrant a more rapid response.
Gabby
Jones
First of all it is for emergencies, second of all why did you wait for a
weekend since you said she had pain all week they figure if you held out
with the pain for a week then decide to come in there you can certainly wait
a few more hours.
gman99
Troy Jollimore
It was EASTER SUNDAY!!! How many 'normal' GPs are taking calls/practicing
that day, instead of sitting home polishing up their golf clubs?!? It's rare
that they take calls at home anymore, they just refer you to the walk-ins or
ER.
Al was concerned for his mother, and they probably never thought about the
clinics. I know I wouldn't. Don't know where many of them are, what they
charge, or what their hours are...
As for the treatment, I would have lodged a complaint before I left
(although it sounds like you might have only had another 30mins to an hour
left to wait). Definitely lodge a complaint through your mother to your
local MLA on the issue. I wouldn't have been surprised by the waiting time
on a Holiday Sunday, though. I WOULD be surprised by the allergy victim
getting priority, though. Her earache could just be an infection, or it
could be something more serious. Definitely get her to her GP soon.
"Al Smith" <inv...@address.com> wrote in message
news:uzbSh.3915$Uf7.2312@edtnps89...
Friar Donk
The wait times at the Cobequid Centre are even more laughable than the
QEII.
I would recommend spending an hour and drive to the emergency in either
Windsor or Bridgewater. My wife sprained her ankle and we were in and out
of the ER in Windsor in an hour, including X-rays.
My mother in law went to the Bridgewater ER for a sore elbow and was seen
within 30 minutes, during which they determined it was a staph infection.
--
The Good Friar
Rick Walker
"Troy Jollimore" <tjoll...@nospam.sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:evd9a6$bkd$1...@utornnr1pp.grouptelecom.net...
> Why is everyone going on about this to poor Al and his mother?!?
I feel sorry for Al, because he only did what he thought was best
for his mom. And he's lambasted by people for making a wrong decision?
It can get pretty cold in here at times, Troy.
> It was EASTER SUNDAY!!! How many 'normal' GPs are taking
> calls/practicing
> that day, instead of sitting home polishing up their golf clubs?!?
> It's rare
> that they take calls at home anymore, they just refer you to the
> walk-ins or
> ER.
I can't get in to see my doctor on the weekends... Hell, I can't
guarantee I'd get in today if I were to call right now; probably not,
holiday weekend = busy Monday at the office for doctors. Well, *any*
Monday is a busy day at the doctor's office.
> Al was concerned for his mother, and they probably never thought about
> the
> clinics. I know I wouldn't. Don't know where many of them are, what
> they
> charge, or what their hours are...
If my mother were alive today at 87, I'd do whatever I could think
of doing to seek medical assistance for her; my mother has been dead for
almost 30 years now, and not a day goes by where she doesn't cross my
mind. You only get one mother folks, and remember that.
> Definitely lodge a complaint through your mother to your
> local MLA on the issue. Definitely get her to her GP soon.
I'd do exactly that. Upon entering the 'emergency' room at the QE2,
Al should have been told (while going through the admissions process,
whatever that consists of) a walk-in clinic might be a better option,
told of the closest location, warned about the 'emergency room
proceedure' that is followed at the QE2, leaving the less severely
afflicted to endure longer wait times than usual (Sunday, holiday, blah,
blah, blah.)
None of that was offered to Al. And all of the 'hindsight' this
group has is of no consequence to Al or his mother, but more of an
eye-opener to those that don't know how our heath care sysytem operates
its 'emergency rooms' on Sundays, not to mention a holiday Sunday.
Pen a letter to your MLA, Al Smith. And take care of your mom. :)
Rick
Gabby
wrote:
> I WOULD be surprised by the allergy victim
> getting priority, though.
Since you weren't there & don't know what his symptoms were, why are
you surprised? He could have had anything from hives & itching to
difficulty breathing. I trust the triage personnel to know better
than Al what took priority.
I was also annoyed that he felt the need to indicate the allergy
sufferer's nationality, as though that had any bearing on the
treatment.
Gabby
Al Smith
>
> It was EASTER SUNDAY!!! How many 'normal' GPs are taking calls/practicing
> that day, instead of sitting home polishing up their golf clubs?!? It's rare
> that they take calls at home anymore, they just refer you to the walk-ins or
> ER.
>
> Al was concerned for his mother, and they probably never thought about the
> clinics. I know I wouldn't. Don't know where many of them are, what they
> charge, or what their hours are...
>
> As for the treatment, I would have lodged a complaint before I left
> (although it sounds like you might have only had another 30mins to an hour
> left to wait). Definitely lodge a complaint through your mother to your
> local MLA on the issue. I wouldn't have been surprised by the waiting time
> on a Holiday Sunday, though. I WOULD be surprised by the allergy victim
> getting priority, though. Her earache could just be an infection, or it
> could be something more serious. Definitely get her to her GP soon.
Thank you. I wondered if I'd get anything other than abuse in
response to my post. Know what I was thinking as a read the other
responses? How many of these turkeys would like to sit for three
solid hours with a sick, frail 87-year old woman would can't even
sit up in a chair for ten minutes without getting tired and having
to rest?
It was a big effort for her to get to the emergency ward. She had
to get dressed in street clothes, which she usually doesn't do
anymore. I had to put her in a wheel chair since she can't walk
more than a few steps on her own. She hasn't been to the doctor's
for a while because it's too much effort for her to get there, but
on Easter Sunday she was in significant pain, so she made the vary
large effort to get to the hospital.
I saw the people who were being treated ahead of her, and those
sitting in the outer waiting room. Nobody looked any closer to
death than she did, yet Big Nurse kept bumping her, maybe to spite
me, who knows? Our health care system is a sad joke.
Al Smith
The Saudi "delegation" came into the emergency ward with an
official interpreter, a very well-dressed young career woman in a
nice suit that screamed "government of Canada." The first thing
this woman did was ask someone to give up his seat so that the
Saudis could all sit together.
Sure, they deserve equal care. They got a little better than that.
By the way, none of them looked very sick.
Gabby
The day I took my youngest to the ER with an allergic reaction he
didn't look very sick either. But he required 2 epinephrine shots to
keep him from going into anaphylactic shock after accidentally
ingesting eggnog.
Gabby
Gimme_A_Break!
"lucretia borgia" <lucreti...@florence.it> wrote in message
news:de1j13dedbs961nnn...@4ax.com...
>a <a...@a.ca>in hfx.general, wrote and entertained us with:
>>Al Smith wrote:
>>>
>>
>>You shouldn't have gone to the emerg for a prescription.
>>
>>a
>
> care and too expensive to be used as a drop in medical clinic.
Unfortunately, everytime I make an appointment with my GP, it's always a
minimum of a week away for the next available appoinment. In the case of the
OP, an 87yo woman with pain in her ears on Easter Sunday...what would you
do?
oldtrout
When my son was young he took a bit out of a toadstool so we called the
Children's Emergency.
We were transferred to a doctor of either East Indian or Pakistani decent.
"My son bite a toadstool and we were wonder if we should being him in"
" Ah I see. If you are able to catch the toad and bring it in we could run
some tests of it's stool".
That is a true story.
oldtrout
Having been given more particulars I too would have taken the course of Al ...
however my comment still stand re that there a many, too many people that
go to the ER that should go to a clinic if their own doctor is not
available. We have seen in here that there are clinics that will see you
very quickly.
oldtrout
I too have gone to an ER with chest pains on a couple of occasions and
believe me there was NO waiting time.
On time at the "old" VG* and as I was being wheeled down the corridor
on a gurney I was being pushed so fast I couldn't count the 2' long ceiling tiles.
Why I was trying to count them I don't know!
*( Not the original on south St, about the size of
Tower Rd school, anyone remember that?)
oldtrout - arsaidh-breac
GUM BI SI\TH LEAT
> Going in with a deep finger laceration on Dec. 23, I waited much longer
> and ended up having my finger crazy glued back together. Rather glad
> that although it required medical attention it wasn't serious enough to
> warrant a more rapid response.
>
> Gabby
--
oldtrout
JMJ ( and I'm not even a RC) I wouldn't take a toad to the Windsor ER to
have it's stool checked let alone a human to be examined.
It would be more human to die of natural causes than to face death at the
hands of those quacks!
--
Puree
(snipped)
> I saw the people who were being treated ahead of her, and those sitting in
> the outer waiting room. Nobody looked any closer to death than she did,
> yet Big Nurse kept bumping her, maybe to spite me, who knows? Our health
> care system is a sad joke.
something, or act in a way that caused this? As far as your comment about
the health care system-- I totally, totally disagree with you. You know
nothing about what was happening that day. In decades of serious treatment
for our family, and much contact with the "system" otherwise , I have had
nothing but total respect and appreciation for the care received. If we have
any care and respect for others (and I don't just mean the fellow next door
to you who drives 2 gas guzzling cars) we would educate ourselves:
-If the whole world had the same standard of living we have in North
America, we would need 4-5 planet earths! We want the best of health care,
but ignore others.
-The richest 1/5 of the world's population consumes 4/5s of the world's
resources. We are that 1/5th!
-Over 1 billion people lack basic, decent shelter. And we compain about an
earache, not treated in our desired time.
- 826 million people are undernourished. I don't think we are.
-Every day 30,000 children die throughout the world from illnesses that
could be cured or prevented. (These aren't earaches)
I may sound a bit rough on this one, but our selfishness is sometimes
nauseating.
Sorry Al!
gman99
>
> It was EASTER SUNDAY!!! How many 'normal' GPs are taking calls/practicing
> that day, instead of sitting home polishing up their golf clubs?!? It's rare
> that they take calls at home anymore, they just refer you to the walk-ins or
> ER.
>
> Al was concerned for his mother, and they probably never thought about the
> clinics. I know I wouldn't. Don't know where many of them are, what they
> charge, or what their hours are...
>
> As for the treatment, I would have lodged a complaint before I left
> (although it sounds like you might have only had another 30mins to an hour
> left to wait). Definitely lodge a complaint through your mother to your
> local MLA on the issue. I wouldn't have been surprised by the waiting time
> on a Holiday Sunday, though. I WOULD be surprised by the allergy victim
> getting priority, though. Her earache could just be an infection, or it
> could be something more serious. Definitely get her to her GP soon.
>
>
> - Show quoted text -
He said it was going on for over a week...not just yesterday !!
gman99
That's the whole ballgame right there...ER's work on a triage system.
I know when I went in with an irregular heartbeat several years ago I
never went to the waiting room at all. From the triage room right to
an EKG then to a bed. I was let go that day but when triaging there
are very specific guidelins and problems with the heart tend to go in
right away.
Al Smith
They prioritize anyone they think may die on them. I guess it
would be embarrassing to the ward to have too many people dying
under their care. However, they simply don't have enough staff to
handle the demand. Any wait time over two hours, max, is
unacceptable. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that nobody should
have to wait more than an hour to be examined by a doctor. If they
don't have enough staff to do that, they should get more staff.
It's as simple as that.
Anyone would think they were the post office, the way they drag
their heels. They really don't care how long people wait, and they
don't care if people are in pain, either. They just go along at
their own, very slow, pace. Pain doesn't kill, so they can't be
sued if they keep people waiting who are in pain. If it was their
own pain, they be hollering loudly enough, count on it, but
someone else's pain, they don't care about.
Al Smith
Sorry, yourself. What has the consumption of the world's resources
and world hunger got to do with poor emergency room service in
Nova Scotia? Nothing, that's what. Your comments are surrounded by
a haze of emotion that has no bearing on the issue.
We have the right to expect certain minimum standards, and our
health care system is dropping the ball. It's not only long waits
in emergency wards, it's also long waits to see specialists, and
long waits for operations. Three or four hour waits in emergency
with no doctor examination are too long. Maybe in the Congo or
Haiti or Borneo they would be considered acceptable, but they are
not acceptable in Nova Scotia.
All those who brag to Americans about what a great public health
care system we've got should sit in the emergency ward passing in
and out of consciousness with an acute asthma attack for four
hours, before finally going home in disgust, as my brother did.
We'd see how much they'd brag then.
Al Smith
My mother was complaining about pain in her ears off and on for
about a week. She didn't say she had to go to the hospital about
it until Sunday.
Gabby
Three or four hour waits in emergency
> with no doctor examination are too long. Maybe in the Congo or
> Haiti or Borneo they would be considered acceptable, but they are
> not acceptable in Nova Scotia.
Actually, for an earache, in a busy emerg dept, it is perfectly
acceptable. For heart attack symptoms, OTOH, you'd have a right to be
pissed off.
While I sympathize with your concern for you mom, you only know what
you saw. You have no idea what was going on anywhere else within that
department, any more than I knew what was going on outside the exam
room when I was in emerg recently.
Gabby
gman99
What did you exepct ? Really...did you think that someone with an ear
ache would go to the front of the line ?? When you go to the ER with a
non-emergency problem you will wait....and likely quite a long time.
Puree
b
[snipped for clarity]
> After the first 2 1/2 hours my mother started asking me to take
> her home, that they weren't ever going to come. I delayed, but
> when a Saudi Arabian
And that's the hard part, isn't it Al? Not a man, or a person, or a
patient but a "Saudi Arabian". How dare they?! Over you, a white guy.
Imagine!
> who had some reaction to a cat allergy, and
> who had come into the hospital fifteen minutes after we did, was
> treated ahead of us (I could hear the doctor doing the
> examination) I finally decided that my mother was correct -- they
> probably weren't ever coming. So we left and I took her home.
>
> Three full hours in the hospital emergency ward -- no treatment
> whatsoever. All we needed was a prescription for an antibiotic for
> her ear infection (that's probably what it is). Would have taken
> two minutes to look into her ears and write up the prescription.
That's amazing Al. You diagnosed both the "Saudi Arabian" AND your
mother and set up priorities for triage. Where did you get your
medical degree?
Cheers,
John
Jones
"b" <jvan...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176145068....@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
I also wondered that myself, an ear ache over an allergic reaction?
Brian Smith
"Friar Donk" <ROT-13-s...@sevneqbax.bet> wrote in message
news:pan.2007.04.09....@sevneqbax.bet...
>
> The wait times at the Cobequid Centre are even more laughable than the
> QEII.
I've never found that to be the case. I spent three hours in the QEII
one day, I never got close to being seen. I drove out to Cobequid and was
taken care of immediately.
Al Smith
More than three hours is too long to wait for emergency medical
treatment. Can't you see that?
Al Smith
It wasn't from some mail-order medical school in the Cayman
Islands, I'll tell you that.
Gabby
You're the one who doesn't see. Even though your mother was in pain
she didn't require EMERGENCY medical treatment. She didn't even
require URGENT medical treatment. People who did were seen before
her. That's how triage works in emergency departments.
Gabby
Heather Morrison
>>
>> It was EASTER SUNDAY!!! How many 'normal' GPs are taking calls/practicing
>> that day, instead of sitting home polishing up their golf clubs?!? It's
>> rare
>> that they take calls at home anymore, they just refer you to the walk-ins
>> or
>> ER.
>>
>> Al was concerned for his mother, and they probably never thought about
>> the
>> clinics. I know I wouldn't. Don't know where many of them are, what they
>> charge, or what their hours are...
>>
Well, for your own sake I would advise you learn where your local walk in
clinic is if your doctor doesn't have an on call service.
There are now many walk in clinics all over HRM. Some are busier than
others. Try and find one that isn't so busy on a regular basis.
>> As for the treatment, I would have lodged a complaint before I left
>> (although it sounds like you might have only had another 30mins to an
>> hour
>> left to wait). Definitely lodge a complaint through your mother to your
>> local MLA on the issue. I wouldn't have been surprised by the waiting
>> time
>> on a Holiday Sunday, though. I WOULD be surprised by the allergy victim
>> getting priority, though. Her earache could just be an infection, or it
>> could be something more serious. Definitely get her to her GP soon.
You aren't going to get far complaining about wait times for an elderly
person with an earache in emergency.
Personally, I would prefer the system where you call in to a central service
where all citizens health records are kept and talk to a doctor who will
assess over the phone if a doctor needs to be sent to the home..or the
person is directed to a specific place for appropriate care. This does exist
in other parts of the world and works very effectively. Having to take
elderly persons out into germ infested waiting rooms and hospitals is
inexcusable.
>
>
> Thank you. I wondered if I'd get anything other than abuse in response to
> my post. Know what I was thinking as a read the other responses? How many
> of these turkeys would like to sit for three solid hours with a sick,
> frail 87-year old woman would can't even sit up in a chair for ten minutes
> without getting tired and having to rest?
I have done it many many times Al and I can empathize with your situation to
a degree.
Having a mother of similar age and getting to that point of need of care I
do make sure I am aware of what is the best way to
take care of her needs. You tried but I was offering you some advice as to
how to do it better. She was not an emergency patient and you took her to
the wrong place.
>
> It was a big effort for her to get to the emergency ward. She had to get
> dressed in street clothes, which she usually doesn't do anymore. I had to
> put her in a wheel chair since she can't walk more than a few steps on her
> own. She hasn't been to the doctor's for a while because it's too much
> effort for her to get there, but on Easter Sunday she was in significant
> pain, so she made the vary large effort to get to the hospital.
This is what you should be complaining about. There should be an in home
service for the elderly or elder clinics.
>
> I saw the people who were being treated ahead of her, and those sitting in
> the outer waiting room. Nobody looked any closer to death than she did,
> yet Big Nurse kept bumping her, maybe to spite me, who knows? Our health
> care system is a sad joke.
In my professional and personal life I have spent many many many hours in
the emerg waiting room. They do great work and it is triage. It looks like
nobody is doing anything but believe me...they are working. Earaches would
have been very low on their priority though. So the wait would have been
significant depending on what scale of patients they had coming in that day.
I hope your mother is feeling better.
toodles
HeatherM
Rick Walker
> More than three hours is too long to wait for emergency medical
> treatment. Can't you see that?
They should have been up front with you at admissions, Al. I fault
them for not telling you the way it is.
Rick
gman99
It is rare that an ear ache emergancy medical treatment ? See...when
too many people rush to the ER with a hang nail it clogs up the entire
system...especially when there was ample time to see your own GP.
a
Just because "it hurts" doesn't make it an emergency! You could go in
there with a fractured arm - if the bleeding (if any) is under control,
they're going to continually pass you over for patients that can't breathe,
are bleeding, have chest pain, etc.
a
Brian Smith
"Rick Walker" <R...@WR.com> wrote in message
news:lYySh.21604$PV3.2...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
>
> They should have been up front with you at admissions, Al. I fault
> them for not telling you the way it is.
Come on Rick, everyone (or almost everyone) knows that Emergency Rooms
are for EMERGENCIES. As such, the more critical cases take priority over the
run of the mill cases. One could wait for hours, only to be called and have
someone else come in with a more serious issue and they would be placed
ahead of the person that had waited for hours. That's the way it is and
there is no secret made of this practice, there are signs placed in the
waiting rooms that state the procedure.
Wrong issue in the wrong place.
Rick Walker
"Brian Smith" <Hal...@NovaScotia.Canada> wrote in message
news:pqzSh.17981$hO2.17112@edtnps82...
Then why allow someone in to see a doctor about an ear-ache, who
didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of seeing one? Sweet Jesus
man, if that had have been my mother in there I would have bitched about
it to someone nearby, enough to find out that I was in the wrong place.
Maybe outside of this group, Al displays different colours than I do.
I'm kinda vocal when it comes to things like this... perhaps you've
noticed? :-)
Rick
Brian Smith
"Rick Walker" <R...@WR.com> wrote in message
>
> Then why allow someone in to see a doctor about an ear-ache, who didn't
> stand a snowball's chance in Hell of seeing one?
Because there is always a chance that it will be a slow day in an
emergency room.
> Sweet Jesus man, if that had have been my mother in there I would have
> bitched about it to someone nearby, enough to find out that I was in the
> wrong place.
If you need to bitch about it, and you needed someone else to tell you
were in the wrong place, you need better glasses. There is enough signage to
make the point.
> Maybe outside of this group, Al displays different colours than I do. I'm
> kinda vocal when it comes to things like this... perhaps you've noticed?
> :-)
Yes, I've heard you yell "we'll sue" for silly little occurences. Is
that what you meant?
Gabby
> Then why allow someone in to see a doctor about an ear-ache, who
> didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of seeing one?
As much as the staff would like to, I don't know that they can legally
turn them away. If they could, emergency departments would be less
crowded and run much better.
I can just imagine the PR disaster that would result the first time
someone was told: "I'm sorry sir, your problem is just not an
emergency or even urgent. You'll have to leave the hospital and go
see your family doctor or go to a walk-in clinic."
Gabby
a
>
> "Brian Smith" <Hal...@NovaScotia.Canada> wrote in message
> news:pqzSh.17981$hO2.17112@edtnps82...
>
>> "Rick Walker" <R...@WR.com> wrote in message
>> news:lYySh.21604$PV3.2...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
>
>>> They should have been up front with you at admissions, Al. I
>>> fault them for not telling you the way it is.
>
>> Come on Rick, everyone (or almost everyone) knows that Emergency
>> Rooms are for EMERGENCIES. As such, the more critical cases take
>> priority over the run of the mill cases. One could wait for hours,
>> only to be called and have someone else come in with a more serious
>> issue and they would be placed ahead of the person that had waited for
>> hours. That's the way it is and there is no secret made of this
>> practice, there are signs placed in the waiting rooms that state the
>> procedure.
>> Wrong issue in the wrong place.
>
> Then why allow someone in to see a doctor about an ear-ache, who
> didn't stand a snowball's chance in Hell of seeing one?
Because that's your right here in Canada.
a
Rick
Before everyone get their shorts in a huge knot,,,,,
All the talk about who should have done/not done what,,,,when is fine!
However, you have to consider the age of the patient,,,,, prior to
telling people what they are doing that is wrong.
I had an acquaintance that had a relative fall and break a hip. No big
deal yet the lady died 3 days later....
Gabby
A broken hip in elderly patients is always a big deal. First it can
send them into shock, then it decreases their mobility thus greatly
increasing their odds of getting pneumonia, DVTs, etc.
Gabby
Rick
Thanks. Thats exactly my point about allowing for patient age......
Rick Walker
"Rick" <abbot...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1176165520.8...@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Before everyone get their shorts in a huge knot,,,,,
> All the talk about who should have done/not done what,,,,when is fine!
> However, you have to consider the age of the patient,,,,, prior to
> telling people what they are doing that is wrong.
> I had an acquaintance that had a relative fall and break a hip. No big
> deal yet the lady died 3 days later....
It's the concern that Al has for his mother's health, combined with
the wait time and lack of treatment given that has me concerned. I
would have asked (continually) "How much longer?", until I got a
straight answer. At 87 years old I can only hope that someone would be
concerned about me.
That's my point.
Rick
Rick Walker
"Gabby" <Lavol...@msn.com> wrote in message
news:1176161433.2...@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
So... let's say they had said "Sir, the chances of your mother
getting seen by a doctor today are slim to none; by priority you're
already looking at a 2 hour wait, and where it's an Easter Sunday it
could be a lot longer. We advise that you attempt to get in to a duty
doctor of a walk-in clinic, for your mother's sake."
That would have helped, wouldn't it? I'm not saying turn them away
Gabby, but tell people what to expect and let them turn away on their
own, seeking help at a walk-in or a duty doctor.
Rick
Gabby
> "Gabby" <Lavolan...@msn.com> wrote in message
That's why in our ER the wait time is posted on a large flip chart
right by the registration desk. Anyone coming in with a non-urgent
problem knows from the get-go what the average wait time is at that
point. They also know that that time could get a hell of a lot longer
as more patients with more urgent problems come through the door.
In HV-GB there are no walk-in clinics and little chance of seeing your
family doctor on short notice. There are no physicians in private
practice, all work for the Health Board from offices in the hospital.
Appointments for April started being accepted around March 21 and by
the end of March you'd have been hard pressed to get an appointment
before April 18-19. If you call the desk with problems today, you'll
be told to go to ER. It's done to keep ER numbers up for some
staffing reason.
Gabby
Gabby
But you're comparing oranges and puppies. An earache of a week's
duration, regardless of the age of the patient, will not have the same
impact as a broken hip. You can't possibly expect that more serious
cases would be passed over to allow prompt treatment of a probable
otitis media. He's lucky his mother was in an examining room where
she had the option of lying down to take a nap. That was probably a
concession to her age because here a younger person would have been
sent back to the waiting room to wait.
Gabby
Rick Walker
> On Apr 10, 9:30 am, "Rick Walker" <R...@WR.com> wrote:
>> So... let's say they had said "Sir, the chances of your mother
>> getting seen by a doctor today are slim to none; by priority you're
>> already looking at a 2 hour wait, and where it's an Easter Sunday it
>> could be a lot longer. We advise that you attempt to get in to a
>> duty
>> doctor of a walk-in clinic, for your mother's sake."
>> That would have helped, wouldn't it? I'm not saying turn them
>> away
>> Gabby, but tell people what to expect and let them turn away on their
>> own, seeking help at a walk-in or a duty doctor.
> That's why in our ER the wait time is posted on a large flip chart
> right by the registration desk. Anyone coming in with a non-urgent
> problem knows from the get-go what the average wait time is at that
> point. They also know that that time could get a hell of a lot longer
> as more patients with more urgent problems come through the door.
Then that should be the way it works here, in Halifax. I know Al's
not stupid, he can read a sign, etc., but sometimes when it's a close
relative and it appears as a situation requiring immediate help to you,
your thinking can be temporarily clouded due to your concern about the
family member. He should have known what to expect.
> In HV-GB there are no walk-in clinics and little chance of seeing your
> family doctor on short notice. There are no physicians in private
> practice, all work for the Health Board from offices in the hospital.
> Appointments for April started being accepted around March 21 and by
> the end of March you'd have been hard pressed to get an appointment
> before April 18-19. If you call the desk with problems today, you'll
> be told to go to ER. It's done to keep ER numbers up for some
> staffing reason.
Probably so they have the numbers of waiting patients at the ready,
when the government goes on a spending spree. That would be my guess.
"We have 'X' number of people per day passing through. We need to hire
more staff." And with the numbers there to support them... you see
where this is going, I'm sure, Gabby. :)
Rick
Al Smith
I'm going to try to get her to the doctor's office this week, if I
can get an appointment. It's an ordeal to move her, since she can
barely walk. Must be even more difficult for those who can't walk
at all. I don't know how their relatives manage.
Rick Walker
>> It's the concern that Al has for his mother's health, combined
>> with the wait time and lack of treatment given that has me concerned.
>> I would have asked (continually) "How much longer?", until I got a
>> straight answer. At 87 years old I can only hope that someone would
>> be concerned about me.
>> That's my point.
>>
>> Rick
> I'm going to try to get her to the doctor's office this week, if I can
> get an appointment. It's an ordeal to move her, since she can barely
> walk. Must be even more difficult for those who can't walk at all. I
> don't know how their relatives manage.
Good stuff, Al. I'm happy to see that you're looking out for your
mom. Call me sentimental, I don't care. :-)
Rick
oldtrout
Snip-
>> I too have gone to an ER with chest pains on a couple of occasions and
>> believe me there was NO waiting time.
>>
>> On time at the "old" VG* and as I was being wheeled down the corridor
>> on a gurney I was being pushed so fast I couldn't count the 2' long ceiling tiles.
>> Why I was trying to count them I don't know!
>>
>> *( Not the original on south St, about the size of
>> Tower Rd school, anyone remember that?)
>>
>> oldtrout - arsaidh-breac
>> GUM BI SI\TH LEAT
>
>
> They prioritize anyone they think may die on them. I guess it
> would be embarrassing to the ward to have too many people dying
> under their care. However, they simply don't have enough staff to
> handle the demand.
>Any wait time over two hours, max, is
> unacceptable. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that nobody should
> have to wait more than an hour to be examined by a doctor. If they
> don't have enough staff to do that, they should get more staff.
> It's as simple as that.
And just how much are you prepared to pay for this level of service.
It would cost millions and millions.
I KNOW I couldn't afford such taxes.
oldtrout - arsaidh-breac
GUM BI SI\TH LEAT
>
> Anyone would think they were the post office, the way they drag
> their heels. They really don't care how long people wait, and they
> don't care if people are in pain, either. They just go along at
> their own, very slow, pace. Pain doesn't kill, so they can't be
> sued if they keep people waiting who are in pain. If it was their
> own pain, they be hollering loudly enough, count on it, but
> someone else's pain, they don't care about.
--
oldtrout - arsaidh-breac
GUM BI SI\TH LEAT
Brian Smith
>
> All the talk about who should have done/not done what,,,,when is fine!
>
> However, you have to consider the age of the patient,,,,, prior to
> telling people what they are doing that is wrong.
>
> I had an acquaintance that had a relative fall and break a hip. No big
> deal yet the lady died 3 days later....
There's a massive difference, Rick. A broken hip is an emergency, an ear
ache is not.
Rick
> "Rick" <abbott.r...@gmail.com> wrote in message
Not really. A broken bone to a younger person is tolerable. And still
an emergency.
Until the cause of the ear problem is diagnosed in a person that age
of Al's Mom,,,,,, her problem could very well be worse.
That being said, older people should get to their Doc ASAP when
something like that appears.
Brian Smith
"Rick Walker" <R...@WR.com> wrote in message
>
> It's the concern that Al has for his mother's health, combined with the
> wait time and lack of treatment given that has me concerned. I would have
> asked (continually) "How much longer?", until I got a straight answer. At
> 87 years old I can only hope that someone would be concerned about me.
There is no way to answer that question, as it could and would change
every time a new patient was admitted to the ER with a more serious
condition. In theory, it would be possible for a patient suffering a minor
affliction (such as an ear ache) to be there for weeks without being seen,
if more people came in with life threatening symptoms.