Is it really an emergency?

photo credit: viva la vibs

There has been a lot written on emergency departments and the frequency of patients who attend for frivolous and stupid complaints. Certainly this has become a part of my day to day life, and there have been many times when I have wished that the Australasian Triage Score system had a category 6, 7 or 8….

Here’s a few presentations that actually rocked up to the triage desk this week:

• “I’ve had a sore throat for 2 days…”
• “My daughter fell onto her hand, it’s not sore but I’d like it checked out…”
• “He’s vomited twice in the last couple hours…” (20y/o male)
• “This tooth has been bugging me for a few months, now it’s REAL bad!…”
• “I’m on holiday and my script has run out…”

Suburban Emergency has a great post called Never mind that’s worth checking out. It’s a bit of a rebuttal aimed at someone who suggested the ED is the best place to go instead of a GP, and outlines why this is not a particularly good idea.

credit: gemsling

 
It seems universal that emergency departments are used inappropriately, regardless of the health care system / payment structure and regulations that apply to each particular country. The NSW Health Deparment has a blurb on their web site which describes the purpose of emergency departments in Australia as follows:

• The main function of an emergency department, or ED, is to treat patients who are suffering from an acute serious illness or injury that would lead to severe complications if not treated quickly. The ED is not designed to provide ongoing care. Patients requiring urgent attention will always be seen first. Treatment in the ED is based on clinical need and not your financial situation or whether you have health insurance.
• Non-emergency conditions are best treated by your local doctor or after hours medical centre because:
  • You are more likely to see the same doctor each time
  • You usually won’t have to wait as long to be seen
  • It frees up emergency departments to treat emergency cases

I guess that unfortunately a massive portion of the general public have been so busy visiting the emergency department, they haven’t had the time to visit the web site & find out if it’s appropriate for them to go or not….