The West Parry Sound Health Centre has launched a online tracker that provides residents with live emergency department wait times.
The new tool offers real-time data on how many patients are being treated, how many are waiting to be seen, a current estimated wait time and predictive data that shows the average expected wait times over the next six hours.
“Our (emergency department) team is always working as hard as they can, often in difficult circumstances, to ensure that everyone who enters seeking care is seen to as quickly as possible,” said Tanya McCarthy, clinical manager of the emergency department and intensive care unit.
“However, we understand that waiting is difficult, and that not knowing what’s going on behind closed doors can be frustrating. While we won’t be able to change how long you may have to wait, we hope that giving patients more information will better help inform their decisions or maybe make the wait a little more bearable.”
Due to rapidly changing demands in the emergency department, and the need to see the sickest patients first, actual wait times may be more or less than the time displayed.
A link to the tracker can be found in the menu on the left-hand side of the homepage at www.wpshc.com.