You can finally know the actual wait time in the emergency room

Thanks to new data released by the government today, Quebecers can now know how long they’ll be waiting in the emergency room.

A new website, updated regularly, shows how many people are waiting in the emergency department of all hospitals in the province and the average time they spend in the waiting room. This new, more accurate data can help patients choose an emergency or alternative solution.

Seven Indicators Citizens Can Consult Take the example of La Surrey Hospital in ABTP.

In a few weeks, the average time before seeing a doctor in an emergency department and waiting time on an 811 phone line will be added to guide sick Quebecers.

“I don’t want to say that things are going well in the emergency department, I hesitate to say that things are going well, but we are definitely seeing an improvement,” assures Health Minister Christian Dubey. An interview with Newspaper.

Previously, patients had to fall back on the occupancy rate of stretchers, which did not take into account ambulatory, that is, people in the emergency department who visit a doctor without being admitted to the hospital. .

“Outpatients make up two-thirds of the population. Most of them [des patients] Don’t go on a stretcher, don’t wait 15 hours,” said Mr. Dubey explains.

Three months after its creation, the minister made a positive assessment of the crisis cell, which was set up to help with overwhelming emergencies.

This fall, labor shortages and respiratory viruses wreaked havoc on hospitals.

“The only place you can’t close is the emergency room. But we can close beds on the floor or delay surgeries,” he explains.

Thus, a hospital that exceeds its capacity in the emergency room may delay surgeries to keep beds upstairs and reduce stretcher waits. The departure time of specialists from the hospital is monitored, as patients on stretchers often wait for their arrival.

“Fluid Managers” now make the connection between emergency and platforms. From December to January, emergency department outpatient visits increased from 7,500 to 5,600 daily and wait times decreased by one hour from 3:12 a.m. to 2:16 p.m.

“As a user, I think the worst is over. [dans les urgences]But for our employees, no”, the minister admits that hiring is a priority.

Gilbert Boucher, president of Quebec’s Association of Specialists in Emergency Medicine, notes an improvement: viruses are spreading less.

According to him, this new data will help citizens to choose their emergency and better balance the health network.

►Emergency data available at: quebec.ca/situationurgences

Emergency room for surgery

Minister Christian Dubé is considering a crisis cell similar to emergencies to reduce the huge wait for surgery.

As of December 31, nearly 164,000 people were still waiting for surgery in Quebec.

This is more than the 145,000 people who were waiting when the minister announced he wanted to catch up by June 2023.

“We’re not there now, no,” said Mr. Dubey agrees.

Soon, he intends to release data on delays in CISSS and CIUSSS so that there is an accurate portrait of the situation, he continues.

“The emergency department did its job [pour les urgences] We need to reflect on this success,” he said.

Two bills in February

Minister Dubé intends to introduce two bills in February to create the Health Quebec Agency and to regulate employment agencies.

“I believe we can table the bill by the end of February, and that’s my goal,” he said of Health Quebec. A draft is currently circulating in the Department of Health and Social Services.

Like Hydro-Québec, this company must coordinate the day-to-day management of the health network, stay close to the field and “change governance”.

Just before Christmas, Mr. Dube confirms that a bill this month would tighten the screws on network employment agencies.

It specifically aims to better regulate changes that are accessible to agency workers.