QUESTION: Going to the Emergency Department? How many hours till you are first seen by the Doctor?
ANSWER:
Approximately 2.5 hours. Up to 4 hours! That’s NOT the total length of your visit. So….. bring a book.
Here’s the trend graph in Island Health and Canada, below.
Note this is all pre-pandemic data… currently, people may not be able to access their family doctor or walk-in clinic so wait times may actually be higher, especially for non-life-threatening patient issues.
Emergency Department Wait Time for Physician Initial Assessment
(90% Spent Less, in Hours)
Canadian Institute for Health Information. Emergency Department Wait Time for Physician Initial Assessment (90% Spent Less, in Hours) [indicator]. Accessed February 28, 2022.
Want to see the local Island Health data? Compare it to the rest of BC and Canada?
Inside Guide to Emergency--And How to Prevent Having to Go! 