THE ISSUE: Emergency rooms

OUR OPINION: Already overloaded ERs face crisis

Advising people not to use hospital emergency rooms for non-emergency medical care is not new. Anyone who has spent time at the ER knows well the problem of lengthy waits as non-emergency patients are seen.

The swine flu (H1N1) pandemic has emergency physicians worried the system will be stretched to the breaking point.

A new poll by the American College of Emergency Physicians finds nearly 90 percent of more than 1,000 emergency physicians expressed concerns about their emergency departments’ ability to care for additional patients.

“Emergency physicians will do everything they can to guide and help people through this flu pandemic,” said Dr. Angela Gardner, president of the American College of Emergency Physicians. “But a national surge capacity plan must be developed, and resources must be provided to help our nation’s hospital emergency departments be ready to respond to public health crises, such as this pandemic or a terrorist attack or other catastrophes.”

Only a tiny fraction (4 percent of $3.38 billion) of federal funding for emergency preparedness was spent on medical preparedness, according to the Institute of Medicine (2006). Only 16 percent of emergency physicians who responded to the poll believe the federal government is doing everything it can to provide them the resources needed to effectively respond to a severe flu outbreak.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cases of the swine flu virus have been confirmed in all 50 states with at least 21 states reporting widespread outbreaks. Unlike the traditional flu, which typically affects older individuals worse than others, the swine flu virus is targeting younger individuals more severely than other age groups.

“The H1N1 flu virus spreads the same way the regular seasonal flu spreads, by direct contact with someone or by coughing or sneezing in the air,” Gardner said. “Wash your hands regularly, wipe down work spaces with disinfectant and stay home from work or school if you may be infected.”

Following established advice on when to seek emergency treatment can go a long way toward relieving the already heavy load on ERs.

Emergency physicians recommend you seek emergency care when you have the symptoms of a medical emergency. If you have concerns about being sick but it’s not a medical emergency, first call your personal physician and get a recommendation. If you seek emergency care for flu symptoms, be aware that emergency staff may direct you to triage locations separate from the waiting room. If you arrive in the emergency room, let the triage nurse know right away that you have flu symptoms.

As Gardner says: “Emergency physicians are uniquely qualified to provide care for outbreaks like swine flu because of training and experience delivering lifesaving treatment to mass amounts of sick and injured people at any given time,” Gardner said. “The important thing is to stay informed.”

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