The occupancy rates of emergency stretchers in Quebec hospitals have been increasing steadily since Christmas and only two regions were not beyond their full capacity on Thursday.
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With the exception of Gaspésie—Îles-de-la-Madeleine and Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean, all regions of Quebec had emergency stretcher occupancy rates above 100%, according to the Health Index website.
The most critical regions, the Laurentides and Lanaudière, had rates of 182% and 225% respectively Thursday morning.
“The congestion in the emergency room is a reflection of the congestion in the hospital. Each part of the gear must work well,” illustrates the vice-president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec, Dr.r William Lacombe. “One of the main causes of emergency room congestion right now is that hospitals are full. It’s really a game of dominoes.”
Dr. Lacombe recalls that even before the holiday season, the emergency situation was critical in several hospitals in the greater Montreal area.
Archive photo, Le Journal de Montréal
Since Christmas, the overall occupancy rate has increased from 95% to nearly 140% in Quebec and the average waiting time in the emergency room, Thursday morning, was 5:30 hours.
“Every day in the emergency room, we lose strength. If the average length of stay in the emergency room increases, so do the risks of complications,” adds the Dr Lacombe.
Holiday Transmissions
The Chaudière-Appalaches region also had one of the highest occupancy rates in the province at 162% as of Thursday afternoon.
“What we see in the emergency room are flu-like symptoms linked to influenza and gastro,” explains the executive director of the local service network Alphonse-Desjardins for the Integrated Health and Services Center. (CISSS) of Chaudière-Appalaches, Maryse Bouffard.
“The holiday gatherings and gatherings, we might think that it is because of that that we find ourselves in the current situation,” she says.
A few visits to emergency rooms in the region led to hospitalizations, specifies M.me Bouffard who invites the population to instead call 811 to be directed to the right health professionals.
“However, there may be certain delays which mean that people, in their worry, will prefer to wait in the emergency room,” she adds.
Despite everything, the Dr Lacombe reminds that going to the emergency room remains the right thing to do in the event of serious symptoms or risk of complications.
“Every day, I see patients who did not dare to consult so as not to disturb them, but who should have done so before,” he says.