Quebec‘s emergency rooms are facing critical capacity challenges as a significant surge in influenza cases coincides with winter conditions and increased patient visits.Provincial occupancy rates reached 128% Monday morning, with some regions-Laurentides, Laval, and Outaouais-experiencing rates exceeding 170%. Healthcare officials are bracing for further strain during the holiday season and are urging residents too consider choice care options when possible.
Emergency rooms across the province are experiencing significant strain, with occupancy rates exceeding capacity. As of Monday morning, provincial emergency room occupancy reached 128%, and health officials anticipate further increases in the coming days, largely due to a surge in influenza cases.
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The hardest-hit regions include Laurentides, with an emergency room occupancy rate of 173%; Laval, at 180%; and Outaouais, experiencing 182% occupancy. These high rates indicate significant challenges in providing timely care to patients.
The Montreal region, typically one of the busiest, reported an occupancy rate of 135%.
“With the outdoor temperature as it is today, we’re seeing a lot of falls and a high volume of calls to our emergency prehospital services, particularly with Urgences-Santé in the Montreal-Laval region,” said Véronique Wilson, Director General of Coordination, Access, Integrated Emergency and First Line Services at Santé Québec. “We are working together to determine how to best manage this situation.”
“This is a situation that occurs during the winter season, coinciding with flu season. We prepared for this, which explains the higher-than-usual emergency room rates, but we are currently under control,” she added. The ongoing strain on emergency departments highlights the seasonal pressures faced by healthcare systems.
Several regions reported occupancy rates below 100% on Monday morning, including Capitale-Nationale (97%), Abitibi-Témiscamingue (51%), Bas-Saint-Laurent (87%), Côte-Nord (93%), Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine (75%), and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (69%).
Health officials anticipate a further increase in emergency room visits due to gatherings during the holidays, which facilitate the spread of respiratory viruses. “We believe this will continue to increase in the coming days, hopefully peaking with the influenza surge and then declining,” said Ms. Wilson.
Extended Wait Times in Emergency Rooms
Patients presenting to emergency rooms should prepare for lengthy waits. According to Index Santé, the average wait time in the waiting room on Sunday exceeded five hours, and the average length of stay for patients on stretchers was 17 hours. These extended wait times can be particularly challenging for patients in need of urgent care.
Over the past seven days, the average length of stay on a stretcher in the Greater Montreal area surpassed 19 hours, and across the province, it exceeded 16 hours, according to Santé Québec.
“We’ve seen a slight increase compared to the same period last year in our average stretcher wait times, which is attributable to the flu surge. However, when looking at the flu peak last year, our current average length of stay is lower,” Ms. Wilson clarified.
Santé Québec is heavily promoting the 8-1-1 telephone line to alleviate pressure on emergency rooms. This strategy appears to be effective, with a higher volume of calls this year compared to last. Currently, approximately 7,400 calls are received daily, compared to 6,200 last year.
“We’re also seeing good results in terms of guidance. Approximately 37% of callers to 8-1-1 are able to resolve their concerns with self-care advice at home. Another 30% are directed to medical clinics, and only one in six callers to Info-Santé are directed to our emergency rooms. Calling 8-1-1 if you have health concerns is definitely worthwhile to ensure you’re directed to the appropriate care and avoid the emergency room when possible,” Ms. Wilson indicated.
According to Santé Québec data, the current average wait time on the 8-1-1 telephone line dedicated to flu and gastro symptoms is approximately 1 hour and 32 minutes. The wait time is similar for pediatric needs (1 hour and 28 minutes) and reaches 2 hours and 30 minutes for the general 8-1-1 line. Callers can provide their phone number for a callback from a healthcare professional while maintaining their place in the queue.
The health coverage of La Presse Canadienne is supported by a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. La Presse Canadienne is solely responsible for this journalistic content.
