Emergency: America's Emergency Rooms
That America's health care is badly broken is no secret. I don't know a happy physician, or hospital pharmacist, or nurse or administrator. There is a pallor of dysfunction hanging over those professionals and institutions who we think will be ready when that dreaded time comes and we need skilled intervention and need it fast. And yet, there goes your father to his second or third hospital after the understaffed EMS finally arrived to begin treating his heart attack. Every second counts. And instead of 7 minutes to the nearest ER, he was transported to the third nearest, 32 minutes away.
With different priorities, couldn't this have been prevented? And what will happen if we have double or quadruple the number of emergency calls during a period of medical crisis? Hello, Homeland Whatchamacall it. I DON'T feel--you know--.
WASHINGTON Jun 14, 2006(AP)--Half a million times a year about once every minute an ambulance carrying a sick patient is turned away from a full emergency room and sent to another one farther away. It's a sobering symptom of how the nation's emergency-care system is overcrowded and overwhelmed, "at its breaking point," concludes a major investigation by the influential Institute of Medicine. That crisis comes from just day-to-day emergencies. Emergency rooms are far from ready to handle the mass casualties that a bird flu epidemic or terrorist strike would bring, the institute warned Wednesday in a three-volume report.And emergency medical services received only 4 percent of the $3 billion distributed by the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 and 2003 for emergency preparedness.
Children have even scarcer help. They make up more than a quarter of all ER visits, yet one survey found only 6 percent of emergency departments had all the supplies needed, such as child-size equipment, to treat them.
Comments
Fred - I read this post with great interest.....I have been an ER RN for 22 years in a small suburban St. Louis ER, currently retiring on disability (and that's a whole other story)......We are not a trauma center & the local paramedics know that......However, we are very often full (8 beds) with people waiting 1-2 hours to be seen. We very seldom go on diversion. One of the biggest problems is the physician offices - they are so fully booked that when a patient calls his/her PMD with a complaint of a sore throat, cold, difficulty breathing or whatever, they are told to "go to the ER". When they come to the ER the minor complaints triaged are made to wait while we handle the more serious problems. What happens is the "minor" patients end up leaving since they don't want to wait - this causes many complaints - every patient thinks their problem is serious & we sympathise - however a potential heart attack takes presidence over a sore throat. The public has become very wise & will present with a complaint of "chest pain" knowing it will get him/her in before anyone else - never mind that the "chest pain" person is 25 years old & in basically good health! I don't have the answer to this problem, but it is happening all over the St. Louis area. My grandaughter broke her elbow Labor Day weekend - my son & I did not take to my ER as we don't have the facilities to treat pediatrics- we took her to another local Pedi ER & we had a wonderful experience - ortho was in within half an hour after the x-rays to cast her - I wouldn't hesitate to use this Pedi ER again if necessary (which I hope it won't ever be!) That being said, I am retiring on disability & haven't worked for a month - and know what? I don't miss the stress & aggravation - I am going to take the summer off & figure out what my options are - thinking I might do something with my photography - After being a nurse for 40 years I'm tired of the stress involved & want to do something pleasurable..........Long post, I know, but I'm tired of the stress of ER nursing......
Posted by: Dottie | June 19, 2006 10:01 PM
what we see in the ED I work in is a lot of uninsured patients. folks who cant aford to go to a regular MD (assuming they could get an appointment) so yes money is needed to provied affordable medical care for everyone. a visit to the ED cost around $300.00 a visit to a Famly MD cost under a $100. The ED cant refuse to see a patient no matter how much they owe Family MD's can. You and I pay for the no-pays at the ED so why not make it better for all and help thoes who can not afford health insurance by providing affordable medical care at a prorated cost. I dont know how to do it but something needs to be done.
Posted by: cindy lee | June 22, 2006 12:33 PM