A&E

Seanachai

I had to visit A&E last week, I was there for 11 hours, I ended up leaving as I hadn't slept or eaten in 24 hours and I needed to get home. I was in for a stomach issue so I couldn't just grab something in the café. The question I have is, is it the norm for A&E departments to operate using the same doctors shared between casualty and the walk-in A&E? There were people that were there before me, one girl in pretty bad pain, who had still not been seen by a doctor when I left.

RobFowl

Not sure what you mean by Walk in AE and casualty, they are one and the same .....

Seanachai

RobFowl wrote: »

Not sure what you mean by Walk in AE and casualty, they are one and the same .....

I was in the Mater, the walk-in A&E is separate from the casualty where the ambulances bring in patients. Security can scan you through the doors but it's only to visit somebody or ask where you are on the list. I spoke to a doctor at the nurses station and he told me that the same doctors that have to attend to ambulance arrivals also have to attend to people that just walk in off the street like I did. After 5-6 hours waiting I asked him if he could give me an idea of when I might be seen and he said because I was low priority, possibly eleven more hours.

The staff are great people, I'm just wondering why there isn't doctors that can see people in A&E off the street and separate doctors for urgent cases.

BrianBoru00

MONEY

Its the A+E department and generally patients are triaged. People arriving in ambulances would be more serious than yourself in general so that's why they would be seen before you.

What your suggesting is that one set of doctors look at people who are not that ill while another set of doctors look at only ill or very ill people.

Put another way your suggesting that a doctor spend time examining you to see if there's anything wrong with you while someone arriving in an ambulance with their fingers cut off from a chain saw has to wait as "their"doctor is dealing with a cardiac arrest

RobFowl

Whether you come in by ambulance or walk in you are atteneding he same unit. Seperate entrances means nothing.
The same staff using the same facilities.

xabi

Sounds like your issue wasn't that serious, you probably should have went to a GP first.

Seanachai

RobFowl wrote: »

Whether you come in by ambulance or walk in you are atteneding he same unit. Seperate entrances means nothing.
The same staff using the same facilities.

That's my point, does the system forever more have to be run like this?, if there is a shortage of doctors then fair enough, the HSE/gov need to sort it out. Waiting 16-18 hours, even though it's a non life-threatening illness is just not on. There were elderly people waiting the same length of time as me and they just looked banjaxed, then when the fight injures started coming in later in the evening, the atmosphere was horrible.

Seanachai

xabi wrote: »

Sounds like your issue wasn't that serious, you probably should have went to a GP first.

I tried, the care-doc told me to go to A&E, turns out I have an ulcer after subsequently getting to the GP. My point is why do doctors have to split their time between one section and another, is this how it is done in other countries? The staff were pleasant but looked completely burned out.

Edit, it was a Saturday, last bank holiday weekend

Seanachai

BrianBoru00 wrote: »

MONEY

Its the A+E department and generally patients are triaged. People arriving in ambulances would be more serious than yourself in general so that's why they would be seen before you.

What your suggesting is that one set of doctors look at people who are not that ill while another set of doctors look at only ill or very ill people.

Put another way your suggesting that a doctor spend time examining you to see if there's anything wrong with you while someone arriving in an ambulance with their fingers cut off from a chain saw has to wait as "their"doctor is dealing with a cardiac arrest

Do patients in the USA, Germany, France, Myanmar etc wait crazy lengths of time to see a doctor in A&E? The whole thing is a shambles and would lead me to phone an ambulance in future rather than go through experiencing that environment ever again.

BrianBoru00

Seanachai wrote: »

Do patients in the USA, Germany, France, Myanmar etc wait crazy lengths of time to see a doctor in A&E? The whole thing is a shambles and would lead me to phone an ambulance in future rather than go through experiencing that environment ever again.

With all due respect- you're a large part of the problem. Go to a GP.

The staff are worn out because of people going to A&E when its not an ACCIDENT or an EMERGENCY.


I'm not aware of how those countries health systems work but if people are going to A&E for a relatively minor stomach pain then people who genuinely need to go may be losing out where you could (and subsequently treated adequately by the GP).

Seanachai

OSI wrote: »

Part of the overcrowding problem with A&Es is people going needlessly or even calling ambulances needlessly just because they reckon they'll be seen quicker or get better treatment than if they went to the GP.

Now I get why, I'd feel embarrassed being brought in by ambulance, only to find out that it wasn't serious. I didn't have a clue what was wrong with me when I went in, I was in very bad pain, vomiting and hadn't eaten or slept for almost a day. I've since got a prescription and an appointment with a consult coming up.

Seanachai

BrianBoru00 wrote: »

With all due respect- you're a large part of the problem. Go to a GP.

The staff are worn out because of people going to A&E when its not an ACCIDENT or an EMERGENCY.


I'm not aware of how those countries health systems work but if people are going to A&E for a relatively minor stomach pain then people who genuinely need to go may be losing out where you could (and subsequently treated adequately by the GP).

How the hell was I to know it wasn't an emergency when I couldn't see a GP?, I don't consider sitting in a cold white room with crap TV for the guts of a day and paying €100 for it a great way to spend my Saturday. As if it's something somebody does for the craic on a whim.

The caredoc nurse even said that there's no point going to them and if an ulcer bursts it can be very serious. I'm not a doctor, I can only go by the advice of medical staff.

RobFowl

Mod note
Insulting and abusing other posters is not allowed or acceptable
Rob

28064212

Seanachai wrote: »

My point is why do doctors have to split their time between one section

They're not. As already explained, A&E and Casualty are the same section. If someone came in by ambulance with a less serious case than yours, they'd be sent out to sit in the same area, and you'd be seen before them. Of course, that's not likely to happen, since anyone brought in by ambulance is likely to have a more serious injury

Conor Bourke

Seanachai wrote: »

Do patients in the USA, Germany, France, Myanmar etc wait crazy lengths of time to see a doctor in A&E? The whole thing is a shambles and would lead me to phone an ambulance in future rather than go through experiencing that environment ever again.

Even If you arrive by ambulance, once you present with the non-urgent symptoms of a stomach ulcer you'll still be triaged, not considered an emergency and be left to wait while priority patients are dealt with. Please don't ever consider phoning an ambulance just to get yourself seen more quickly, it's a gross misuse of resources.

BrianBoru00

Apologies but I can only comment on what you've told us here.
That's a separate problem and in my experience I've found this out of hours service to be pathetic - they're solution is to go to A&E. If they were to do their job sufficiently you would have been seen by the GP and they would have diagnosed you and told you to report any further issues but take said medication and refer you on to the consultant. Saving you 10 hours.

Seanachai

I'm not alone in experiencing this, A&E waiting times are a known issue in Ireland. I don't blame the hospital staff who are generally excellent, there's something seriously awry with a system that leaves you waiting for such long periods of time, whether you have a serious issue or not. I don't think many people are going to A&E with the flu, they may be sent home with the all-clear but in the first instance they don't know this, all they know is that they are either injured or unwell enough that they left home and went to A&E probably knowing full well that it could be a very long wait.

http://www.thejournal.ie/ireland-hospital-waiting-list-3212178-Jan2017/