Over the past two years, more than a dozen emergencies have been partially or completely closed in Quebec. Among these are Cloutier-du Rivage, Fortierville, Gatineau, Baie-Saint-Paul, Mont-Joli, Coaticook, Les Escoumins, Suroît, Point Cartier, Senneterre and Lachine.
The death which occurred on the night of November 30, when the Senneterre emergency room was closed, raises several questions; this death deserves to be the subject of a debate, even an investigation. The main question that arises is this: can closing emergency rooms have a negative effect on the health of patients, or even lead to an increase in the death rate?
In the United States, several studies and scientific articles have examined this question. Here are some examples. A study published in 2014 in the Journal of Health Affairs sees a 5% increase in the death rate among California patients affected by the closing of emergency rooms in their community after being admitted to a nearby hospital. This increase in the death rate was even higher for medical emergencies in which time is of the essence such as heart attacks (15%), stroke (10%) and infections causing sepsis (8% ).
In addition, the authors concluded that closing emergency rooms could lead to higher patient mortality rates in communities with more visible minority or low-income people. The authors recommended “to minimize emergency room closures in vulnerable neighborhoods … and prevent emergency room closures which are likely to dramatically increase patient mortality.”
A 2007 study published in a National Institutes of Health journal found that in Mississippi over 50% of the emergency room population lived within five miles of an emergency room. These people tended to be disadvantaged, unemployed, women and the elderly.
A study published in 2016 in theAmerican Heart Journal shows that when patients had to drive at least 10 minutes longer to get to the nearest available emergency room, the death rate was higher.
In conclusion: closing emergency rooms results in longer trips and waiting times for treatment. This means that a patient might be sicker by the time they are admitted to the hospital. Some might even give up traveling. The elderly, women and the socioeconomically disadvantaged are most at risk.
Regardless of age, socioeconomic status, gender or language, all Quebecers deserve to receive the best care. Emergency closures could put the lives of some patients at risk and lead to an increase in the death rate.
Given the information presented here, it is in my opinion imperative to stop closing emergencies and reopen those that have been closed.