Island Health has started showing estimated wait times at hospitals online.
A new page at Island Health.ca/findcare shows how long it could take to see a doctor in emergency rooms at the island’s eight major hospitals.
“When someone needs emergency care, unknown factors like where to go for care or ED wait times can be frustrating,” said Leah Hollins, Island Health board chair. “This webpage is an excellent tool and giving people more information about current conditions and care options will benefit both patients and care providers.”
The wait time are calculated using data from emergency department encounters that started at a given time of day (by one-hour increments) on that day of the week over the past eight weeks at the same site, according to a news release from Island Health.
The release says the organization anticipates nine out of 10 patients will be seen within the estimated time or quicker.
“’How long can I expect to wait’ is one of the most common questions we hear from people in our emergency departments,” said Dr. Ben Williams, Island Health’s vice-president of medicine, quality, research and chief medical officer. “I believe this new resource will support frontline staff and physicians in focusing on providing the best care possible, while empowering people to make informed choices about the care options available to them.”
