Interior Health working to cut emergency department waits

No one likes to wait in the hospital emergency department, especially when you are sick or in pain.

New data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) says the vast majority of Canadians are being seen by a doctor in the E.R. within a few hours.

However, many of those who need to be admitted to hospital are waiting much longer. It’s an issue the Interior Health Authority is actively trying to address in the Okanagan.

Interior Health officials say they are faced with more and more people showing up at the E.R., some of whom don’t really need to be there, and that’s putting pressure on emergency departments.

“It is growing faster than population or demographic changes would suggest, which is why the focus is on primary care and looking at can we provide the services in the community,” Interior Health CEO Chris Mazurkewich said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "It is growing faster than population or demographic changes would suggest, which is why the focus is on primary care and looking at can we provide the services in the community," Interior Health CEO Chris Mazurkewich said.

However, the health authority says Okanagan hospitals in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton are less crowded, freeing up space for emergency department patients. Mazurkewich said the health authority looks at whether it can provide people service in the community instead of in hospital, or discharge them sooner.

“We’ve seen really good improvement in Kelowna General Hospital. We’ve seen really good improvement in Penticton Regional Hospital and we are starting to see that kind of improvement in Vernon Jubilee Hospital,” he said.

The CIHI data shows nationally, 10 per cent of patients waited longer than 32.6 hours to be admitted. In B.C. it is taking even longer, with 10 per cent waiting longer than 42.7 hours.

However, at Kelowna General Hospital, that number was lower, with 10 per cent of patients waiting more than 30.2 hours to be admitted.