New York Times
19 January 2008
Author Unknown
"Emergency Room delays" talks about how people with good health care are affected by those who are not covered. One of the affects is that emergency rooms are overflowing with people because they are not insured. In the past decade, waiting time for heart attack patients has doubled. Emergency rooms closures also contribute to back ups in other ER’s. This is because the hospitals take on charity cases that lead many to bankruptcy. The Institute of Medicine warned that hospital emergency rooms were in trouble and called for an combination of money to better care in emergency rooms. The Cambridge Health Alliance doctors think there should be an expansion of health insurance for the poor so that only those in need of an emergency attend the emergency room.
Overall, I thought this was a very effective article. It addressed the problem and provided a solution. This article seems reliable because it sites many different health resources. The author did not try and use big words but instead wrote in a style that was easy to follow and understand.
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9 comments:
Recently, my sister was very sick and we had to take her to the emergency room. While I expected there to be a small wait, we were there for four hours waiting to be treated. While some were seriously ill, most were there for something that could have been taken care of at a primary care physican. Unfortunately, they did not have the resources to go to a primary care physican. Something needs to be done for this situation, but it is a complex problem that probably won't be fixed in the near future. I really liked the point that you made!
Too bad no one ever listens to any of the solutions given to hospitals like this. I think we could all find a simliar story to this particular problem. My roomate cut her thumb completely open the Sunday before dead week. She waited several hours in a local hospital before giving up and taking the hour and a half drive to our hometown hospital for another blissful sit in a waiting room. I don't understand why they don't have segregate a few doctors for serious cases and have other doctors work on normal cases. Then again, I think the entire mess might be the result of a lack in physicians and nurses.
Health care is a very important issue in the presidential debate. Whether everyone should get health care or if our taxes should keep paying for people without jobs. This also might mean less money for people in the medical field which affects alot of us students. I also think that only true emergences should be dealt with in the emergency room.
I do not believe that anyone who needs medical attention should be turned down, but it seems like the hospitals are taking on more then they can handle. The hospital is in fact a business, and someone needs to pay the bills. Maybe, some people should be turned down. However, if I was in the position of needing medical attention, then I would be very upset if I was turned down. I am torn on this issue. We should all have the right to be treated, but someone needs to pay. If no one pays, then the quality of health care may decline. I think the government should use less money paying the unemployed, and more on healthcare for all. People can not help if they get sick, but most people can go out and get a job.
I think it is sad that people should have to wait at an emergency room. There is no way for a docotor to tell how serious someones condition is just by a nurse glancing at them. I think that ER should be expanded and more doctors should be hired. I'm sure there are countless cases of people who die in the ER while waiting to be seen.
I've had a couple of experiences in waiting rooms. I worked in one and waited with a friend who was bashed on the head with a glass beer mug. When I worked at the hospital, I talked to the patients. Some said it wasn't a long wait while others said it took forever. In the case of my friend, we got there around 10 pm and left at 11 am. From personal experience I believe it's all the the hospital you go to.
There is also something that can be done for some of these cases. People need to stop being idiots. When I worked in the ER, I talked to someone who ignited a firecracker in his hand. Someone got shot hunting. Without these the ER would be a little quicker too.
I too have had some pretty interesting experiences in the waiting room. I remember once it was a 5 hour wait, and one lady just wanted her ear wax taken out. I completely agree with Michael on this one, it all depends on what hospital you go to and what's wrong with you. I think they should open up more After Hours, and send people there for the smaller stuff. The problem is employment though.
However, I think this was a pretty good article touching on a subject that not many touch on these days. Most articles I've read don't talk about the actual waiting period.
I relate to this article because I am very accident prone and have been to the emergency room about five or six times. One of these times, I got there at 5:30 with had a really bad sprained ankle. I waited in the room until 8:30 to be seen by the doctor. I understand that the most severe injuries should go first, but I hardly doubt that there were three hours work of heart attacks in front of me. As the article said, most of them probably didn't have insurance, when I did. Also, the insurance my family has only covers us at a hospital thirty minutes away, when there's one about five minutes from where I got hurt. Needless to say, I think health care in the U.S. has some major flaws, and I would like to see the government put some more time into fixing it.
i'm not going to try to be cruel, but i believe if you pay a premium for a service, you should be entitled to that service. i understand waiting in line at the emergency room behind the people in front of you, as long as they are paying the same price. It is completely rediculous for me to have to wait in line behind some bum who was drunk and passed out in the middle of the street and got ran over by a car, and definately doesn't have insurance and will never be able to pay for the medical bills. We all pay medical insurance so that we get the best treatment, and we dont' have to go to a charity hospital. i do hope that people without money for medical expenses get the proper treatment, just as long as it's AFTER me. It may sound cruel to some, but i like to get the quick and best treatment i pay for, even if it means i get treatment for a broken arm before some hoodlums get treated for gun shot wounds. Great article, informative blog post, and important topic.
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