Estimated wait times for Island Health emergency departments are now being posted online on a new web page.
Located at http://islandhealth.ca/findcare, people can view estimated wait times for Island Health's eight major hospitals, as well as resources including information on urgent and primary care centres and community-based resources.
In a press release, Island Health stated that the wait times are calculated using data from emergency department encounters at a given time of day over the past eight weeks at the same site. As it is historical data, it can change based on current conditions of the department and people are seen based on how serious their condition is.
According to Marko Peljhan, Island Health’s vice-president for acute clinical operations, the web page has been highly anticipated.
"We've wanted to give individuals the ability to see all the resources available to them and look at wait times across the region," he said. "We've been spending the last several months looking at and testing different methodologies to determine the most accurate wait times possible. So that's the length of time, and we're happy with the work our team put in."
Peljhan said that since the estimates are based on the last eight weeks' data, if there's a spike in need, such as a heat wave, patients should anticipate the wait-time accuracy to be off.
"Every day it is being updated, but it's taking a historical average over the last eight weeks. The great majority of the time that's what you're going to find when you attend the emergency department…" he said. "Emergency departments are a dynamic place. There could be a heat warning, there could be a car crash or another significant event where we have multiple traumas attend an emergency department, which are going to create a longer wait time than what is posted."
Island Health anticipates that nine out of 10 patients will be seen within the estimated wait time, "and most people should be seen sooner."
"While Island Health teams will closely monitor wait times and patient experience, there is the potential for rapidly changing conditions and fluctuating wait times based on patient needs and demand at a given site in the weeks immediately following the initial launch," Island Health stated in the release. "We ask for patience and understanding during the initial weeks after the website is launched as any necessary tweaks are made to ensure the most accurate information is displayed."
At the time of publication, Cormorant Island Emergency Department, Tofino General Hospital, Port Hardy Hospital Emergency Department, Port McNeill Hospital Emergency Department and Lady Minto/Gulf Island Hospital Emergency Department do not have posted wait times.
Peljhan said this is due to some of the departments not having certain software, resulting in Island Health being unable to pool historical data to compile the wait times.
"That would require a further investment in our electronic health record. We don't have that capacity at this moment…" he said. "We are absolutely interested in looking at that in the future."
