Brian Sinclair inquest recommendations slammed by ER doctors
Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians says report misses key point about ER overcrowding
The Manitoba government's plan to make emergency-room changes as a result of the Brian Sinclair inquest is being slammed by a national group representing ER doctors.
Sinclair, a 45-year-old who was a double-amputee, died of a treatable bladder infection while waiting 34 hours for care in the emergency room at Winnipeg's Health Science Centre in September 2008.
An inquest into his death heard that he was never asked if he was waiting for medical care and that nurses at the Health Sciences Centre did not help him even as he vomited on himself. He was eventually found dead in his wheelchair.
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The provincial government announced on Thursday that it will be moving forward with 63 recommendations that came out of the Sinclair inquest, but Health Minister Sharon Blady warned that some changes could take weeks, months or even years to implement.
Many of the recommendations cover improvements to the "front end" of the Health Sciences Centre's emergency intake processes to address the problem of overcrowding in ERs.
But Dr. Jill McEwen, president of the Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, says the report was flawed in its recommendations.
"Yeah, we're disappointed with the results. In summary, I believe they're flawed," she told CBC News on Friday.
"I want to know why. Like, there is a miscommunication somewhere. Someone is advising these recommendations that does not know, does not understand."
McEwen said her organization's input at the inquest was ignored, and she's disturbed to learn some of the recommendations may take years to be implemented.
As well, she said the report misses one point — that the major cause of emergency room overcrowding is a shortage of beds.
Hospital officials need to step up to deal with an overflow of patients, not just the emergency departments, she said.
"We need to implement a solution right now, not years from now or months from now, because … a similar thing could happen," she said.
McEwen said one short-term solution would be to free up beds elsewhere in a hospital and move emergency patients into them.
The Sinclair inquest also drew the ire of aboriginal advocates, who said he was ignored and that his death was the product of systemic racism toward indigenous people.