How health-care systems can calm congested ERs, according to an emergency physician
Investing in primary health care is the first step in addressing overrun hospital emergency rooms, according to a Charlottetown-based emergency room physician.
“We need some short-term, medium and long-term solutions now,” said Dr. Trevor Jain in a recent interview with CTV News.
Canadians who have family physicians spend less time in emergency departments, are healthier and can better manage their chronic diseases, he says.
A new payment model for family doctors in British Columbia, which sees physicians paid based on the time they spend with patients, the number of patient visits, the number of patients in their practice and the medical complexity of those patients, instead of a “fee-for-service” model is something Maritime health systems could consider, said Jain.
“[B.C. is] actually compensating physicians appropriately for spending time for patients who have complex medical issues, as opposed to just a through-put factory to see tons of patients per hour,” he said.
Step two in fixing emergency room overcrowding is addressing the “long-term care crisis,” said Jain.
“The highest rates of medical usage rates are for those patients over 65.”
The third step, he says, is providing better mental health care.
“If we can address those three things right off the bat, aggressively, even a one to two per cent improvement in the health-care system would help upstream and downstream in the emergency department greatly.”
Another cause of congested emergency departments is what Jain calls a “triple threat” of respiratory illnesses circulating right now.
Hospitals are seeing a significant increase in cases of flu and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), while COVID-19 continues to be a problem, he said.
“If you have an outbreak in a hospital, we have no way to admit patients to those floors. Therefore, they have to stay in the emergency department. So it’s all kind of related.”
If hospitals were at a “sweet spot” of 85 per cent capacity, the facilities could deal with the increase of these illnesses, but with many operating at 100 per cent, “things can go south,” said Jain.
Still, Jain recommends if parents have a gut feeling there is something wrong with their child they should not hesitate to take them to the emergency department for an assessment.
“Not every fever has to be seen but I trust parents’ intuition,” said Jain. “The problem is there’s going to be extended waits when you get there.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Powerful tornado tears across Nebraska, weather service warns of 'catastrophic' damage
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Trump's lawyers try to discredit testimony of prosecution's first witness in hush money trial
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.