Tick Tock, Tick Tock. Does it seem like it takes forever when you go to an emergency room? You may actually be on to something there. A study released recently shows that emergency room wait times are increasing.
Emergency room wait times across the country increased 36 percent between 1997 and 2004, according to a Harvard study published today.
…The study, the first providing detailed analysis of national trends in emergency room waits, showed wait times increased to a median of 30 minutes in 2004 from 22 minutes in 1997. Such an increase likely has a negative impact on patient care and may result in more people leaving the hospital without seeing a physician, the study’s authors said.
"Patients who present to the emergency room with time-sensitive conditions may be harmed because they’re not receiving the care they need in a timely way," said the lead author, Dr. Andrew Wilper, a fellow in internal medicine at Harvard Medical School. "There’s prolonged pain and suffering."
Source: Chron.com
Tags: Emergency Room Malpractice