COLLINS: ER patients — how many are really sick?
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AFTER SPENDING ALMOST FOUR MONTHS in hospital, you get to see a lot of things — good and bad. I’ll be writing about some of them in the weeks ahead.
One thing I have noticed is the number of people who come to the emergency department who really shouldn’t be there. All day and all night, the hospital is calling for patients to return to the ER. Maybe some of them have a reason — they’ve had to go to the washroom, or something similar.
I suspect, though, that they went to grab a coffee, then decided to go outside for a smoke. In the meantime, an understaffed and overcrowded ER is trying to find those who have suddenly vanished.
No expert opinion here, but I wonder how sick these people are if they can go outside for a cigarette or get one of those great coffees at Sacred Grounds. If these people eventually show up, I would suggest they be put back at the bottom of the list and deal first with those who really need a doctor’s attention.
