Overcrowding, long waits in QEH emergency department

Barbadians are still disregarding repeated appeals not to head to the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) for non-life-threatening medical conditions, resulting in overcrowding and long wait times for treatment, hospital officials lamented   Thursday.

As a result, the healthcare facility was forced to issue its second advisory in five days warning of a surge in patients.

At midday, the QEH reported that 47 patients were waiting to be seen by the medical team and people seeking attention, especially non-critical patients would therefore have to wait.

The QEH’s Communication Specialist Shane Sealy told Barbados TODAY the problem could be immediately alleviated if more people used the expert care available at the Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS/Help Desk) which operates a 15-hour shift to respond to members of the public.

“Doctors or nurses provide immediate and safe medical advice,” Sealy assured as he outlined that anyone can call 536-4800 using regular WhatsApp calls from 9 a.m. to midnight.

“Callers are categorised into emergent versus non-emergent cases and linked to necessary health providers, for example, AED, polyclinics or general practitioners.”

According to Sealy, doctors on duty have indicated that most patients who use PALS can be treated at polyclinics or privately.

He explained that there is no compromise of patient care despite the large number of people turning up at the AED, pointing out that under the Triage System, urgent medical conditions including life, limb or sight-threatening complaints, gunshot wounds, heart attacks, active seizure activity or a patient who needs resuscitation are handled immediately.

Sealy said the surge in the AED is also compounded by the lack of available beds, some currently being occupied by senior citizens who have nowhere to go.

“Six Elderly for Care (EFCs) are currently occupying beds in AED. They are ready for discharge but family members in too many cases are reluctant to return for their relatives. Our social workers try to reach out in many cases with no success. This causes some of the blockage in patient flow in AED,” he said.
(SD)