Survey shows lengthy waits for ER paitents | SDUT | 10.3.07
For patients who were treated and discharged without hospitalization, the general wait time was 3½ hours and the range was 1½ to 4 hours.
In general, patients waited nearly 5½ hours before being admitted to a hospital bed in the county last year, according to a survey released yesterday. The wait ranged from 3½ to 17½ hours.
Depending on the hospital, 1 percent to 7½ percent of patients grew tired of waiting and left.
The cause: bottlenecks of patients waiting for CT scans, MRIs, blood tests, specialist evaluations and, in particular, inpatient beds at the hospitals, she said.
The overcrowding is made worse by a growing number of uninsured patients who don’t seek care for chronic illnesses until their conditions become emergencies.
- And those disenfranchised from healthcare (un-/under-insured) using the ED for non-emergent services,
- and those unable to receive timely services from their primary care providers.