Western Hospital has made their emergency department wait times available online, helping residents of West Prince to make informed decisions about where best to access emergency care for themselves and their families.
During the 2015/16 fiscal year, there were approximately 11,000 visits to Western Hospital’s emergency department, with an additional 550 visits to its Collaborative Emergency Centre during overnight hours.
“This initiative will improve access to emergency health care services for the residents in West Prince,” said Health and Wellness Minister Robert Henderson. “Making emergency department wait times available to Islanders is a great example of how our health care system continues to use technology to provide Islanders with valuable health information and better access to care when and where they need it, especially in an environment like an emergency department where things can change quite quickly.”
In 2013, the Queen Elizabeth and Prince County Hospital’s began publishing their emergency department wait times on Health PEI’s Emergency Department Wait Times webpage. Kings County Memorial Hospital is expected to begin publishing its emergency department wait times by year’s end.
The estimated emergency department wait time reflects approximately how long a patient may wait to see a physician after they are registered. The wait time is based on the average time experienced by similar patient types over the previous few hours. Emergency department triage nurses assess a person’s health condition based on their presenting symptoms and categorize them as one of three patient types: most urgent, urgent, or less than urgent. The estimated wait times are updated every five minutes.
“We are so pleased to provide Islanders with access to our emergency department wait times, both online and within our waiting room,” said Western Hospital administrator Paul Young. “The pace within our department can change unexpected based on the number of patients we are caring for and how sick they may be, both of which impact wait times for other patients. Being able to share up-to-the-minute information will help those coming into our department understand what to expect, and also brings us in line with the province’s two largest emergency departments.”
Islanders with life-threatening emergencies should always call 9-1-1. For non-urgent health information or advice, Islanders can call the tele-health service by dialing 8-1-1.
Western Hospital’s emergency department operates from 8:00am – 8:00pm daily and transitions to a Collaborative Emergency Centre from 8:00pm – 8:00am.
To view Western Hospital’s emergency department wait times and to access additional information about emergency department, visit: www.healthpei.ca/waittimes.
For more information about Western Hospital, including its emergency department and Collaborative Emergency Centre, visit: www.healthpei.ca/westernhospital.