let's talk ER waiting

[leahgoogle]

The only time I was in the ER for myself I waited a couple of hours, but not terrible. I had a chest x-ray and was told nothing was wrong with me, go home. I went to a primary care Dr the next day, they re-read the same x-ray from the day before and told me I had pneumonia. They were pretty mad at the ER people.

I took my kid once and we waited forever. She threw up on me during our wait, and DH had to get me a new set of clothes. Eventually they just sent us home.

I also took DH once, waited for over 7 hours for one x-ray and a couple of stitches. Should have gone to an urgent care.

Every experience I have had with urgent care is 100x better than all of the above. Honestly, unless I believe I am going to die, I will go to urgent care first next time. They will have to force to me to go an ER instead.

I agree with Urgent Care. DS broke his nose during a high school basketball game and we took him to Urgent Care. He was in and out in less than an hour.

 

[aprilgail]

Or pregnant. What earlier posters have said about triage is true and it makes sense but is frustrating when you're waiting. Especially if your given incorrect or incomplete information.
Once my mom had fallen and was taken by ambulance to the ER. She was in her 90s and in a wheelchair so we wanted to make sure that everything was OK. We were sent straight back but waited four hours before someone could see her. During that time we couldn't give her any of her medications because they would interfere with the exam and subsequent tests, nor was she allowed anything to eat or drink. Thankfully she was fine but the wait was agony for her (and by extension for us).
OP I hope you're better and well on your way back home.

Mine was taken a few months ago by ambulance to the ER after a fall also (she is 92)- they do let me in with her no matter what since I am her caregiver and she can't go alone or else they will have no clue why she is there, she would likely say her foot itches rather than she fell and hurt her back. I was actually impressed at how fast they had xray to the cubicle and then had her into CAT scan and MRI- all in all it was about 7 hours there which is pretty good considering most times you go to the ER it is a 10 hour ordeal no matter what!

 

[MrsPete]

I spent a night in the hospital in May. I went in through the ER around 9:00 on a Sunday morning, and I didn't even sit down -- they took me straight to the back. Literally, I said, "My husband is parking the car, can I wait one minute?" and then I saw him jogging in through the doors, and he came with me.

The last time I was in the ER was more than a decade ago -- that was for my husband. We went in 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, middle of the week. Again, we went straight in.

Have we just been lucky? Maybe. Two examples isn't exactly evidence.

I never said Urgent Cares are "Better".

My daughter works in Urgent Care management. Urgent Cares are great for what they are -- but she says that the general public doesn't "get" how to access the right kind of medical care. She says, "Step on a bee, go to Urgent Care. Step on a bee hive, go to the Emergency Room."

People sometimes come into the Urgent Care with a gun shot or a stroke -- and all they can do is call you an ambulance. And it doesn't come any faster to the Urgent Care. For a real emergency, go to the emergency room.

We have a stand-alone Emergency Room nearby. It's kinda like an Urgent Care on steroids, and they have a helicopter pad /can call for transport to the nearby hospital, if need be. I've never visited, but I've heard good things about it.

Changing the subject a bit: At my doctor's urging, I got our local hospital group's phone app -- love it. When I log in, one of the things I can see is the anticipated wait time at all the local Urgent Cares and Emergency Rooms. To tell the truth, when I went to the hospital back in May, I didn't even remember to check it. I use it to view my appointments, my last lab results, etc., but the Emergency Room info is useful.

 

[wishiwasindisneyjen]

Many years ago I went to the ER for a pain in my shoulder. I had turned over in bed a couple days before and I thought maybe I dislocated my shoulder. The pain was crazy. I tried to make it better with all the usual home remedies but by that day I couldn't take the pain anymore and couldn't sleep so I went to the ER.

I explained I was having pain in my shoulder and before I could say more they had me hooked up to heart monitors. I told them it was definitely NOT my heart but they would not listen. I have a congenital heart defect that makes my heart beat weird, which I explained to them, and it is a pretty common defect but they were freaking out saying I was having a heart attack. No matter how much I told them I was NOT having a heart attack they would not treat me for anything else. They brought me in for a heart ultrasound, I kept saying no, that I didn't need that, it was my shoulder and they wouldn't listen. They kept saying lift your arm over your head to we can use the ultrasound wand...um....I can't lift my arm! That's the problem!!!! The ultrasound tech was so mean and nasty to me saying I was being a baby and kept leaving the room saying she was going to get the doctor and tell them I was being uncooperative. I kept telling her I didn't need the ultrasound! I needed my shoulder fixed.

Finally to get away from them I had to sign myself out of the ER against medical advice. The next day I called an orthopedic doctor, got in that afternoon, he said my shoulder was impinged and slightly out of whack, gave me a cortisone shot, did some magic on my shoulder and it started to get better that day.

Long story short, when you go to the ER and they mistakenly think you are having a heart attack you get seen immediately (thank God for those really having a heart attack) but they don't listen to you when you try to tell them they are wrong...to the tune of thousands of dollars in unnecessary hospital bills.

Hope you've been seen and are on the mend!

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Many years ago I went to the ER for a pain in my shoulder. I had turned over in bed a couple days before and I thought maybe I dislocated my shoulder. The pain was crazy. I tried to make it better with all the usual home remedies but by that day I couldn't take the pain anymore and couldn't sleep so I went to the ER.

I explained I was having pain in my shoulder and before I could say more they had me hooked up to heart monitors. I told them it was definitely NOT my heart but they would not listen. I have a congenital heart defect that makes my heart beat weird, which I explained to them, and it is a pretty common defect but they were freaking out saying I was having a heart attack. No matter how much I told them I was NOT having a heart attack they would not treat me for anything else. They brought me in for a heart ultrasound, I kept saying no, that I didn't need that, it was my shoulder and they wouldn't listen. They kept saying lift your arm over your head to we can use the ultrasound wand...um....I can't lift my arm! That's the problem!!!! The ultrasound tech was so mean and nasty to me saying I was being a baby and kept leaving the room saying she was going to get the doctor and tell them I was being uncooperative. I kept telling her I didn't need the ultrasound! I needed my shoulder fixed.

Finally to get away from them I had to sign myself out of the ER against medical advice. The next day I called an orthopedic doctor, got in that afternoon, he said my shoulder was impinged and slightly out of whack, gave me a cortisone shot, did some magic on my shoulder and it started to get better that day.

Long story short, when you go to the ER and they mistakenly think you are having a heart attack you get seen immediately (thank God for those really having a heart attack) but they don't listen to you when you try to tell them they are wrong...to the tune of thousands of dollars in unnecessary hospital bills.

Hope you've been seen and are on the mend!

In all fairness, it would be medical malpractice if they took you at your word and you had been wrong. As much as it sucked for you, they were doing their jobs, as they should have.

 

[AvidDisReader]

My youngest daughter was an ER nurse for 11 years (now works in NICU), and there is a triage that goes on. The most serious and urgent get first care and works down to the least serious. I was taken the the ER some 3 year ago with a heart attack, let me tell you I had all kinds of Nurses and doctors coming in my room hooking me up to monitors, taking blood samples, checking on my status. It is not perfect, but I never met anyone who worked in the ER that was not a dedicated professional.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I never said Urgent Cares are "Better". I said there is a push for them, especially by insurance (some insurances will deny ER claims if it could have been resolved at an urgent care). The push for them is more because generally they're faster because you don't have the critical patients coming in there which bumps non-critical down the list.

Its all about your individual situation I mean heck in some cases calling your family doctor and setting up an appointment with them is the best option.

I work for a large hospital network which has both ERs and urgent cares so I was just speaking from what I've seen

cares. Wait times are generally much lower and they can give you the same if not better care for most things.

You did. But maybe we can agree that not all Urgent Care centers are the same? Maybe the one you work at is better than the ones I’ve been to. One caused a huge problem for me worsening a severe corneal abrasion in my eye because they didn’t have the right equipment on hand (shoot, even my vet has a Wood’s lamp), they didn’t give a proper diagnosis, and their discharge instructions caused harm (keep pressure on my eye). I wound up at Mass Eye and Ear ER later that day (in excruciating pain and essentially blinded) where they found a large splinter under my eyelid (blown in at a lumberyard) that the urgent care center had completely missed. I had only gone there because the pain was so great I couldn’t open my eyes to see, and it was nearby. They not only didn’t help me, they made it worse.

 

[Christine]

This past March, a day after my foot surgery, I removed my nerve block catheter (per instructions). It was obviously placed against a vein and when I removed the catheter, blood started gushing out of my thigh. I couldn't get it stopped so we called 911. Parmedics came and they did a tourniquet type thing but felt like the minute it was off the gushing would start. So, I went to the ER via ambulance. Typically I refuse to go to the ER for anything but I didn't have a choice. I got there, they took me straight back to a room due to COVID. I couldn't have anyone with me. The paramedic stayed with me until a nurse came in. They removed the wrap, yes it started bleeding again, and she applied some of that Quik Clot stuff and just left the room. She did not come back for 2 hours. Oh did I mention I had no pants on and just a pajama top. No shoes, no nothing. Now the billing people came and went. FInally I had to pee, my nerve block was out and the pain started something fierce. I had to yell out as loud as I could when a billing person walked by to get me some help. Nurse came with a bedpan. Said she'd be back with a Percocet and some cracker and juice. Two hours later she did that. The bleeding finally stopped seeping at that point but they wouldn't let me go until I saw a doctor. He finally came, grunted at me, told me that it could open up at any time over the next few days, and finally said I could go. The nurse was nice enough to bring me some paper pants and paper slippers so I could be wheeled out in dignity. The worst part is from what I could see, there was a lot of people just sitting around in the middle of the ER looking like they weren't doing a thing. Didn't hardly seem busy. But I'm sure I must be absolutely wrong on that.

 

[OpieDoodle]

You did. But maybe we can agree that not all Urgent Care centers are the same? Maybe the one you work at is better than the ones I’ve been to. One caused a huge problem for me worsening a severe corneal abrasion in my eye because they didn’t have the right equipment on hand (shoot, even my vet has a Wood’s lamp), they didn’t give a proper diagnosis, and their discharge instructions caused harm (keep pressure on my eye). I wound up at Mass Eye and Ear ER later that day (in excruciating pain and essentially blinded) where they found a large splinter under my eyelid (blown in at a lumberyard) that the urgent care center had completely missed. I had only gone there because the pain was so great I couldn’t open my eyes to see, and it was nearby. They not only didn’t help me, they made it worse.

Major things yes need to go to the ER. Most ERs tho are full of people with a common cold, flu (not critical), minor injuries, etc. Most of those things can be treated at urgent care is what I meant. I would bet if there was a local report of diagnosis for your hospital most of the things would be these items. That's what I meant by Urgent care can give the same if not better for most things seen in the ER. [Better care because it likely won't take as long]

I didn't mean major things, they're not always set up to handle the big stuff and if something big comes in they may not be able to treat it. In my case for my concussion I called both my family doc and urgent care first and both couldn't handle it so on I went to the ER. When my husband went through the window there was no question of where we needed to go. I think my point was misunderstood. Most things the ER sees day to day can be handled at urgent care. Some things most certainly should be ER right away

 

[DisneyJamieCA]

Major things yes need to go to the ER. Most ERs tho are full of people with a common cold, flu (not critical), minor injuries, etc. Most of those things can be treated at urgent care is what I meant. I would bet if there was a local report of diagnosis for your hospital most of the things would be these items. That's what I meant by Urgent care can give the same if not better for most things seen in the ER. [Better care because it likely won't take as long]

I didn't mean major things, they're not always set up to handle the big stuff and if something big comes in they may not be able to treat it. In my case for my concussion I called both my family doc and urgent care first and both couldn't handle it so on I went to the ER. When my husband went through the window there was no question of where we needed to go. I think my point was misunderstood. Most things the ER sees day to day can be handled at urgent care. Some things most certainly should be ER right away

Interestingly, twice I’ve taken my kids to urgent care, thinking it didn’t warrant an ER trip and both of those times, they sent us over to the ER.

 

[Ellie008]

...Most ERs tho are full of people with a common cold, flu (not critical), minor injuries, etc. Most of those things can be treated at urgent care is what I meant. I would bet if there was a local report of diagnosis for your hospital most of the things would be these items. That's what I meant by Urgent care can give the same if not better for most things seen in the ER. [Better care because it likely won't take as long]

...Most things the ER sees day to day can be handled at urgent care. Some things most certainly should be ER right away

My understanding is that ER have to treat people who can't pay - no matter what. So, if you have no insurance and no way to immediately pay for care you will be turned away at a regular Dr office and any urgent care center. You will not be turned away at the ER. So ERs are full of people who should be somewhere else, but can't afford it. Gotta love healthcare in the US.

 

[Jennasis]

OOh years ago I was having an asthma attack in the middle of the night so DH rushed me to the ER. The ER was pretty packed, and they took me into triage pretty quickly but didn't have a bed anywhere, so they sat me in a chair in the middle of the ER (I could see right into the various curtains where others were being treated). I was left there for hours....wheezing, shaking, gasping for air. Nobody once stopped to check on me. No nurse ever came back. For hours. I was scared, so I finally latched onto the next set of scrubs that walked past me and begged through tears and gasps for air for help. The nurse mumbled something about them waiting for the respiratory therapist to show up. Another hour later, the respiratory person showed up with one of those breathing treatment mist machines, handed it to me and told me I could leave when it shut off.

 

[jaiminee krikit]

I can verify arriving to the ER by ambulance doesn't get you seen any quicker in some cases. I fell and hit my head ice skating, knocked me out cold. I laid on the ice a good 45 minutes by the time the medics came and got me in the ambulance, so I was cold and wet, and concussed. I was nauseous, dizzy, couldn't see straight, I was incredibly bothered by lights, and the trip via ambulance didn't help any of this. They wheeled me into the ER, made me transfer from the gurney to a wheelchair, pushed me into a dark room, and left me there for hours (luckily DH and DD got there soon). When a nurse finally came in, I asked for a blanket - I was still wet on my entire backside, and she said, "No, they need to take your temperature first", and left. Are you kidding me?! I was too disoriented to be able to communicate how upset I was, I just sat there, cold and wet, shivering. I don't know how long it was before they finally brought me to a room with a bed and some blankets, doctor came in and ordered some tests, said it was a concussion, and after another hour or so I was on my way.

DD got a concussion a few years later after hitting her head at a dance performance (she got a little too into her routine I guess). Right away I knew she had a concussion - she had all the same symptoms I had - but we were asked by her dance teacher to take her to the ER just to be sure. It was during a busy fall festival so I knew it would be difficult for an ambulance to get to her, and we were parked closed so we just drove. We arrived and the ER was practically empty (way before covid), doctor saw her almost right away, but oddly refused to say she had a concussion. He just kept referring to it as "head trauma", would not say concussion, even when I asked if that's what it was. We were in and out within a couple hours. We followed up with her pediatrician the next day and right away he said it was a concussion and was irritated the ER wouldn't say so.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

A lot of the health systems around here have ways to look at the waits online or an app. Some even display on billboards too.

Urgent Care is typically where I go first. Some locations offer different services so if I knew what I was looking for or needing I'd try to find it on my insurance's website (which will also tell me if it's In-Network or not). I don't know if the OP knew they needed a CT scan/ultrasound/x-ray or not prior to going to the Urgent Care. I agree that covid may be necessitating adjustments such that you wait even longer than before inside a room as opposed to the actual waiting room but I have to say I would have hoped they would have checked in at some point because an hour and 15mins is a long time to sit before anyone shows up. I've had 30+ waits inside a room at my normal doctor's office without anyone but usually it's prompt enough. ERs are understandably busy and hopefully not having any check in was just due to a rush rather than that particular ER's normal procedure. At least in the waiting room you get why you're waiting a long time.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

Prayers you are feeling better Hulagirl.

A handful of years ago, I waited around forever in an ER with and for an elderly church friend before LATE that night he was finally admitted. I thought given his age and condition he should have been given a room earlier. I truly thank all who work in the healthcare field. Extra after this last year and a half, that's for sure! God Bless You all.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Prayers you are feeling better Hulagirl.

A handful of years ago, I waited around forever in an ER with and for an elderly church friend before LATE that night he was finally admitted. I thought given his age and condition he should have been given a room earlier. I truly thank all who work in the healthcare field. Extra after this last year and a half, that's for sure! God Bless You all.

It is very possible there was no room available earlier. Many hospitals are running full today, and acuity is up. But little things like someone couldn’t go home until their family member got out of work and came to get them, then the room had to be cleaned, etc. It is a daily struggle. Thank you for your good thoughts!

 

[maxaroni]

ER’s are truly a nightmare. When a visit to the ER is truly warranted we go. However, we have had some long wait times. My mom was in and out of hospitals so many times and many times, it was truly exasperating. Yet, she was where she needed to be. My dad learned what having patience means.

A couple of instances DH dealt with were interesting, to say the least. One time he was really sick and didn’t know what was going on. He called his doctor and was told to get to the ER immediately, off we went. The doctor called ahead, so they were expecting us. He was triaged and told to sit down and wait, and wait, and wait. I had to bang on the triage window as DH was getting worse. I was told he was triaged and would be taken ASAP. He got so bad he was falling out of chair. I banged on the window and said he had to be seen NOW. He was taken back, the doctor saw him, diagnosis was made and told he would have died within 12 hours. He spent 11 days in the hospital and come home on IV antibiotics.

Another time he was very sick, called the ambulance, taken right back, waited and waited. This wasn’t the worst of wait times but the ER doc said he had vertigo and windburn. I was insistent that it was something else, finally he was admitted. The next morning was told he was nearly septic, not vertigo and windburn.

The worst was at an eye ER. We were there 12 hours, 7pm to 7pm and most was sitting and waiting. Took 6 hours to get the results from the MRI. It was just an awful night.

DH was taken via ambulance when he had chest pains, taken in the back right away and examined fairly quickly.

We are fairly understanding people and know a lot goes on that one doesn’t see. However, it may not be the type of emergency that warrants immediate treatment, when going to the ER it is stressful and an emergency to us. We try and use the ER as it is intended, an emergency.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

A couple of years ago, my DH went to his doctor for a routine physical. His blood pressure was 180-something over 140-something. Heart disease runs in his family; his uncle passed away at 18 months old due to a heart condition, and his father had a heart attack and bypass surgery at age 48. So DH's doctor's office sent him to the nearest ER and called ahead to alert them to a possible heart attack. When he arrived at the completely EMPTY ER, he was told to "have a seat, someone will see you soon." So he sat there. And sat there. And sat there. One other person came in with a cut on their hand (now I'm not sure of what kind of cut, but DH said it didn't appear to be severe. No gushing blood, the person was calm, etc.). After SIX HOURS, he approached the lady at the desk and she snapped at him that he wasn't the only one waiting. After another hour, someone came out and took his vitals; his blood pressure was still elevated, and he was told they'd get to him "soon." (I suppose at this point, if he'd truly been having a heart attack, he'd have been dead, so it was a good sign that he was still breathing ) Another 3 hours later - so he'd been sitting in the waiting room for 10 hours, with only his blood pressure taken - he walked out. As he left, the lady at the desk sarcastically said, "Bye, hope you feel better!" And the person with the cut hand was still sitting there as well.

10 days later, I found a Facebook page for this ER and it was full of complaints about patients being ignored in the waiting area. One review was from a man whose elderly father had been brought in by ambulance, having an active, diagnosed heart attack. He said his father laid there on the stretcher in the waiting area for 4 hours before anyone came out to attend to him. 2 days later, that page disappeared.

A week ago, the 3-year-old daughter of a friend of ours hit her head on the edge of their pellet stove. Large gash on her forehead. They took her to this ER and waited 5 hours - again, nobody attended to her. They left and took her to another hospital, where she was seen immediately. They got her stitched up and had all the pertinent tests, and they were discharged within 2 hours.

 

[MomOfDisneyPrincess]

My only trip to the ER was after an endoscopic procedure earlier that day. I was home and taking pain meds when I got the most horrible abdominal pains. We called my doctor and he told us to go to the ER and have them contact him, since it was probably pancreatitis. We did that and they still had me wait for 4 hours to be seen. No one at the front desk did anything about contacting my doctor or even noted that it was probably pancreatitis. I sat in a wheelchair in intense pain while my husband went to find something to eat, since we had to drag my 2 year old along with us. My parents were meeting him at the hospital to take her back home. It was seriously all I could do to stay in that chair and not fall on the floor writhing and screaming in pain and wondering when my husband was coming back.

When they finally saw me, they immediately diagnosed pancreatitis and had me admitted within another two hours. My doctor was pretty annoyed, because all they had to do was page him, since he was already at the hospital. Five days in the hospital being starved of food and water and I got to go home just in time for Thanksgiving. Ugh! Not the best memories, but not the worst hospital story that year!

 

[low-key]

I am a carying man, but waiting in a er room, I would rather have my finger nails pulled out with plyers