No single strategy to address ER walk-away rates, Horizon says

Horizon Health Network says ER wait times are a concern in hospitals across the province, but it's not a problem that can be fixed by one solution.

Horizon chief of staff Dr. John Dornan said the rates of people leaving the emergency room without being seen are cause for lots of concern.

"When people walk away sick, we are failing a fraction of our society."

Emergency room walk-out rates have climbed, and up to 18 per cent of people who go to the ER leave after not seeing a doctor after waiting several hours. 

One-third of those are patients require immediate medical care and should not be leaving, the New Brunswick Medical Society says.

Dornan said the problem is persistent across the province and needs to be addressed on multiple levels.

"What we've found is that there's no one single strategy that works here."

He said finding ways to educate the public on proper use of emergency services, as well as looking at how to make both emergency rooms and primary care offices more efficient, could help reduce wait times.

Another issue is high occupancy rates for hospital beds by seniors who should be in long-term care.

"It's not our responsibility generally to look after nursing home patients in Horizon Health, but that said, they are our guests and we are trying to make space for them."

Dornan said it's also a matter of resources, and staff and better allocation of staff are needed.

He said the Moncton Hospital has started a referral program to get people who don't need emergency care to seek help elsewhere but has seen minimal success so far.

"It's a multiple of solutions, none of which have worked completely at this point in time."

The fact of the matter is, if you come in grabbing your chest and short of breath, the person with the ingrown toenail is going to have to wait.- Ted Flemming, health minister

He encourages people who are at the ER and require urgent care to stay and alert the triage nurses if their condition worsens as they wait.

Those who are less sick and could seek treatment elsewhere, either with their family doctors or pharmacists, should, Dornan said.

"My hope is over the succeeding months, perhaps years, and we look at the different aspects of this, we will start to see improvements."

Health Minister Ted Flemming said the issue of ER walk-away rates goes back to problems with the access to primary health care and strains on the health care system.

"The fact of the matter is emergency rooms are for emergencies and people go there because they have nowhere else to go in their minds," Flemming said.

He said the demand for health care is growing by five per cent each year as New Brunswick's population ages.

Still, he said, the triage system at emergency rooms should ensure people who need care the most receive it first.

Vitalité sees fewer walk-outs

"The fact of the matter is, if you come in grabbing your chest and short of breath, the person with the ingrown toenail is going to have to wait."

Vitalité Health Network acknowledged its emergency room use is high, but said its patient walk-out rates are much lower — eight per cent for the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital and an average of seven per cent for hospitals across the network.

The network said it is making recruitment efforts and trying other internal strategies to improve wait times.