Report shows no progress on Quebec emergency room waits
The median waiting time in emergency rooms has remained relatively stable year on year, at 5 hours 13 minutes, according to a report published Monday by the Montreal Economic Institute (MEI).
This represents an increase of two minutes compared with last year's figures.
According to MEI economist Emmanuelle B. Faubert, who authored the report, although the situation is stable, this does not mean that it is acceptable.
"With all the money we spend on health care and all the projects we have, we'd like to see an improvement," said Faubert. "And a two-minute increase is not what I call an improvement. Stagnation, in itself, is not a good thing, and it shows that we need to change the way we do things to find better solutions to improve access to healthcare."
Over a five-year period, the median length of stay in emergency rooms in the province increased by 42 minutes.
This figure calculates the time elapsed from the time a patient is registered at the emergency department until they are discharged home or admitted to a hospital in another department.
The report shows that there are major disparities between the regions of Quebec.
The longest median emergency room visits are in the Laurentians (7 hours and 18 minutes), Lanaudière (6 hours and 56 minutes) and Laval (6 hours and 53 minutes) regions.
By contrast, the best-performing regions are Gaspésie (3 hours 12 minutes), Bas-Saint-Laurent (3 hours 17 minutes) and Côte-Nord (3 hours 33 minutes).
The Anna-Laberge Hospital in Montérégie and the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal were particularly busy in 2023-2024, with median waiting times of 13 hours and 4 minutes and 10 hours and 27 minutes, respectively.
In other hospitals, the situation is quite different.
In the emergency rooms of the Montmagny, Chauveau, Trois-Pistoles and Notre-Dame-du-Lac hospitals, the median wait is under three hours.
The report also shows that 23.1 per cent of patients on stretchers spent more than 24 hours in emergency in 2023-2024, down 1.2 per cent from last year's figures.
Faubert points out that a number of politicians have promised in the past to deal with long waiting times on stretchers, but that these issues are still with us today, with one in five people spending more than 24 hours on a stretcher in emergency departments.
"It's also a problem of capacity in the hospital system," said Faubert. "Because very often people on stretchers are no longer in a state of emergency. They've been treated and stabilised, but they can't go home. They should be moved to another department, but because of a lack of beds, a lack of capacity, they are taken in and have to stay in emergency for much longer than necessary.
"This shows that there is a problem in emergency departments, but also in the rest of the hospital system."
The economist stressed that solutions implemented in the health-care network must be innovative: "We need to try new approaches rather than just injecting money as we have been doing for decades. We can see that it doesn't work."
She added that to prevent people from going to the ER for lack of options, it is necessary to improve primary care.
According to Faubert, some current initiatives are a step in the right direction, such as the specialist nurse clinics being set up across the province.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 18, 2024.
The Canadian Press health content receives funding through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. The Canadian Press is solely responsible for editorial choices.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Second Cup closes Montreal franchise over hateful incident
Second Cup Café has closed one of its franchise locations in Montreal following allegations of hateful remarks and gestures made by the franchisee in a video that was widely circulated online during a pro-Palestinian protest on Thursday.
‘It’s pretty emotional:’ N.B. family escape fire, plan to rebuild home
A family in Riverview, N.B., is making plans for Christmas and the future after escaping a fire in their home on November, 14.
Cargo ship runs aground in St. Lawrence River near Morrisburg, Ont.
A large cargo ship remains stuck in the St. Lawrence River after running aground on Saturday afternoon.
Scurvy resurgence highlights issues of food insecurity in Canada's rural and remote areas
A disease often thought to only affect 18th century sailors is reemerging in Canada.
B.C. man awarded $800K in damages after being injured by defective bear banger
A B.C. man has been awarded nearly $800,000 in damages as compensation for injuries he sustained from a defective bear banger, according to a recent court decision.
A man called 911 for help during a home invasion. Las Vegas police fatally shot him
A Las Vegas man called for police help during a home invasion before an officer fatally shot him, according to authorities and 911 calls.
Cat caught in hunting snare rescued by BC SPCA
Donations are ramping up for a BC SPCA cat with a mangled paw after being caught in a hunting snare, one of a rising number of pets to fall prey to the hunting device.
These royal residences are opening their doors this Christmas
Not so long ago, if you wanted to spend Christmas with the royal family, the only way to get close was to press your nose up to the TV screen during the monarch’s Christmas speech.
'Still working full time on it:' One year later police continue to search for gunman in Caledon double murder linked to ex-Olympian
One year after a couple was shot and killed in their Caledon home in what investigators have described as a case of mistaken identity, Ontario Provincial Police say they are still trying to figure out who pulled the trigger.