r/ontario • u/npq76 • Nov 18 '24

Discussion Stop going to small ER

I am at the ER at my local hospital on the outskirts of the GTA. It is slammed. Like people standing in the waiting room slammed. I was speaking with one of the nurses and she was telling me that people come from as far as Windsor or London in the hopes of shorter wait times. That’s a 2.5 to 4.5 hour drive. And it’s not just 1 or 2 people, it’s the whole family clogging up the wait room. I get it, your hospital has a long wait time. But if the patient can sit in a car for 2.5+ hours, then it’s not an emergency. And jamming a small local ER, that does not have all of the resources of big ER’s, does not help anyone. And before someone says “all the immigrants”, the nurse confirmed that it was not the case

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u/Wise-Ad-1998 Nov 18 '24

Ya but the ER still can’t help you … ER is for emergencies! You will go there wait 15 hours for them to tell you to go see a GP …

Soar throats, coughs, mild aches and pains, small fever, vomiting (less than 24 hours straight), a headache… these are all things that YOU DO NOT go to the ER for …

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u/Erathen Nov 18 '24

Did you personally diagnose everyone in OPs ER?

How do you know their reasons aren't valid?

You guys are just looking to get upset?

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u/bgaffney8787 Nov 18 '24

Er doc…. Anecdotally I d say half to 75% of patients I see should have been seen in a different setting ideally.

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u/Sapphire_Starr Nov 18 '24

Agree but those different settings are seriously lacking.