The stretcher occupancy rate exceeded the 100% mark for a sixth day in a row on Thursday. According to data from the Index Santé site, it was at 128% around 12:30 p.m. This is a peak since the start of the holiday season.
In this latest statistics update, there were 4,602 patients, of whom 1,416 were waiting to see a doctor.
Emergencies were particularly overflowing in the Laurentides and Laval regions, which had occupancy rates of 162 and 161%, respectively. They also far exceeded their capacity in Lanaudière (154%), Outaouais (151%) and Montreal (148%).
The situation was better, but still worrying, in Montérégie (129%), Chaudière-Appalaches (126%), Abitibi-Témiscamingue (116%) and Estrie (115%).
We were also above 100% in Mauricie and Centre-du-Québec (108%), as well as in the Capitale-Nationale region (105%).
The region that fared best was Gaspésie and Îles-de-la-Madeleine (50%), followed by Bas-Saint-Laurent (77%), Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean (80%). and the North Shore (90%).
A documented phenomenon
The number of people admitted to emergency rooms had fallen somewhat around Christmas, but has been increasing since December 27.
Such a rebound in occupancy is a phenomenon observed almost every year, since gatherings that take place during the Christmas period lead to an increase in the circulation of viruses, among other things.
“On December 22, 23, 24 and 25, people try to stay with their families and (endure) their problem for a while,” said Audrey-Anne Turcotte Brousseau, who is head of department for the CIUSSS de l’Estrie – CHUS, during a recent interview with La Presse Canadienne.
“What we subsequently see is an increase in traffic with patients who sometimes delayed a little before consulting, trying to stretch everything out so as not to have to spend Christmas in the hospital. . We see this type of patient between Christmas and New Year’s Day,” mentioned the woman who is an emergency doctor at Fleurimont Hospital and Hôtel-Dieu Hospital.
The average occupancy rate in the province’s emergency rooms had not exceeded 115% since mid-December. It was even below 90% for several days in the second half of the month.
At the start of the holiday season, the Ministry of Health and Social Services recalled the importance of “protecting your health and that of your loved ones” by avoiding going to gatherings if you have flu symptoms, like fever.
He stressed that other options, such as the pharmacy, 811, or medical clinics, must be favored for non-urgent health problems.
“Go to the emergency room only for serious situations, for example, if you suffer from chest pain, difficulty breathing or have serious injuries,” the ministry said in a press release.
The circulation of respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza (seasonal flu) and COVID-19, has been increasing recently, according to the ministry.
The link to homelessness
It is also in this context that more and more people experiencing homelessness are taking refuge in hospital emergency rooms in Greater Montreal.
“Often, these people show up there, around 10 p.m., 11 p.m., midnight, at night when there are no more places in other places of residence,” noted Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of specialists in emergency medicine from Quebec, in an interview with Noovo Info, Friday. “They come to the emergency room, don’t really need medical attention, but don’t want to stay outside. They clutter up the waiting rooms.” According to Dr. Boucher, only one of these patients “in three, out of four” is not affected by an urgent health problem. We must help them differently, according to him.
“It’s not their fault: they have no other place to go, but we have to help them.”
– Dr. Gilbert Boucher
The Montreal University Hospital Center (CHUM) and Notre-Dame Hospital are the main hospitals affected by the problem in Montreal. To deal with this, there are security agents in front of each entrance to the CHUM for example, in addition to social workers inside the emergency room, but doctors are asking the authorities to quickly find a solution.
“Our members who work at the CHUM have been mentioning this to us for about 12 to 18 months,” says Dr. Boucher. “There are oncology patients, patients who have major surgeries must return to the emergency room; patients who have immunosuppression problems… Mixing these people together in the waiting room because the homeless have no place to go, no one wins.”
The president of the Association of Emergency Medicine Specialists of Quebec repeats it: “we must put programs in place so that the emergency is not the safety net for these people,” according to him.
“People who face homelessness are not necessarily people who have big problems,” however, underlines Hughes Guillaume, assistant director of operations at the Old Brewery Mission. “It’s just people who perhaps no longer have the means to afford housing and survive in a so-called more traditional environment. […] So, that’s where we’re going to have to work, because it’s certain that if we continue at the pace we have here, it’s not going to improve.”
If the solution starts with more shelters and warmth centers, everyone agrees that there should be more social housing in Montreal.
