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Why are Canadians dying in ER waiting rooms? What are the fixes *outside* the ER?
Emergency physician Dr. Paul Parks (@pfparks on X /@pfparksy on Instagram) joins the podcast to explain that dangerous ER wait times are driven largely by problems outside the emergency room, especially access block from admitted patients who can’t move to inpatient beds.
Dr. Parks describes extreme waits (including hours for chestpain), ERs operating with most beds occupied by admitted patients, and hospitals running at 120%+ capacity. Key causes include long-term underbuilding of acute-care capacity, workforce shortages after the pandemic, and many“alternative level of care” patients…
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