Emergency Room Wait Times
December 15, 2008In an ideal world all medical treatment would be quick and effective. However, as a personal injury lawyer I often hear clients tell me that they or their loved one waited several hours in the hospital waiting room before being seen by a doctor, despite serious illness or injury. Sometimes clients tell me that it was too late for the doctor to do anything to help. They are angry and upset ... and rightfully so.
The problem of wait times in emergency rooms doesn't seem to be getting any better either. And, frankly, there is no excuse. The hospitals blame inadequate funding and, in turn, the government places blame on ill or injured people for wasting the emergency room resources with illnesses and injuries that should be handled by family physicians.
Who decides how urgent your illness or injury is when you attend at an emergency room? Emergency room triage nurses decide the seriousness of the illness or injury from the information you provide to them, your appearance, and sometimes vital signs. The nurse's decision about seriousness of the injury or illness determines who gets seen first.
Sometimes the nurses simply make the wrong decision about the seriousness of the illness or injury. On other occasions the injured or ill person doesn't give the complete information to the nurse. However, more often than not the nurses do make the right decision but the medical resources are lacking to be able to treat the injured or ill person in a timely fashion.
Occasionally when an injured or ill person is designated to be seen next by a physician, the wait can still be unreasonably long. I don't have a solution to wait times in general but only a solution from a legal perspective.
If you or a loved one has suffered due to the failure of the emergency department to manage your injury or illness in a timely manner, you may have legal recourse. Timeliness of treatment in an emergency room is a complex legal issue. A long wait and damages resulting from the wait doesn't necessarily mean the injured or ill person will have success with a legal case. A lawyer with experience with this type of matter can advise you on whether or not you have a case that should be pursued.
When you decide to go ahead with a legal case relating to the emergency room wait your legal team will examine very closely nature of the illness or injury, the hospital records of the patient, hospital policies, governing legislation, and medical resources available at the time.
In the event that you or a loved one has suffered due to the failure to the emergency room failure to treat in a timely fashion, you should see a lawyer with experience in this type of case immediately. Depending on the state or province, the time you have to bring a case of this nature may be very short.
If you don't know where to turn to find a lawyer, Injury Alliance has access to a group of injury lawyers throughout North America with experience in this type of case. They will locate an injury lawyer for you in your area and help you find other resources that may be necessary to deal with the injury or illness you have suffered. Injury Alliance does not charge you for their help with finding lawyers or medical professionals.
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Emergency Room Waiting Times
I am glad you posted this Blog. I have waited up 5 hours in an emergency room to see a doctor and heard of others waiting even more. Finally someone to bring this subject to light.
Posted By: John
2009-02-12 11:01 AM
Thank You
Thank you so much, Great information...You keep writing and I’ll keep reading.
Posted By: Anonymous
2010-01-28 7:36 AM
Waited 13+hrs
When I was brought in un-conscious, having passed out from extreme pain I was (arguably) deemed low-priority and waited 8 hours in the emergency room of a hospital in Windsor, Ontario - it was only after I received a bed that the doctor reviewed my chart and said that because I was a minor (13years of age at the time), that I had to go to another hospital - they transferred me via ambulance and I waited another 6hours there before being seen by a doctor. I was later admitted for acute kidney failure and spent 3 weeks in the hospital. - I guess it wasn't low-priority since I was going to be there so lone anyways right?
Posted By: Nathan
2010-04-05 10:52 AM