Video reveals grim situation in emergency rooms

[rooster59]

Video reveals grim situation in emergency rooms

By The Nation

 

Credit:National Institute for Emergency Medicine

 

A heart-wrenching two-minute video released by the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, designed to inform people about how to make the best use of hospital emergency facilities, is apparently in response to recurring complaints about inadequate service resulting in loss of life. 

 

An institute official told The Nation that patients sometimes do indeed die partly because of limited resources and overcrowded emergency rooms.

 

Death could also occur, she said, because the doctor on duty misdiagnoses a condition or errs in deciding which patients are in most dire need of attention.

 

The dialogue in the video runs as follows:

 

 

Dad: My kid has a high fever and has fallen unconscious.

 

 

Nurse: Well, we’ll run tests in a minute, so please have a seat and wait.

 

Mom: Yes ma’am.

 

Narrator: Statistics shows 60 per cent of patients in emergency rooms are not people in urgent need. This means doctors and nurses have to work very hard. Moreover, limited medical equipment cannot meet the high demand.

 

Nurse: Please wait. The doctor is busy with an emergency patient.

 

First teenager: How long do we have to wait? My friend has a cut on the head and we’ve been waiting for an hour!

 

Second teenager: This hospital sucks!

 

Dad: What are you doing? Isn’t this the emergency department? My kid is severely ill, so why is there no doctor to look at him? Are you waiting until he dies? 

 

Nurse: We have to take care of the emergency patients first. I’m really sorry but we have one patient who needs urgent treatment. Excuse me sir.

 

Dad: Hey, my kid is going to die! Isn’t that an emergency? 

 

Dad: You’re too busy but you have time to play with your mobile phone! If you don’t want to cure people, then why did you become a doctor?

 

Nurse: The patient has low blood pressure and is not responding.

 

Narrator: People waiting in the emergency room must acknowledge that the doctors and all staff are spending every minute saving the life of another patient. People without emergency conditions shouldn’t use the emergency room because every minute lost there could be a matter of life or death for many others who are in more critical condition.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/lifestyle/30376537

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-09-22

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[colinneil]

Accident and emergency rooms at government hospitals are over crowded, staff over stretched due to the many people blocking the place with silly little none emergency ailments, ooh my nose is running, or i not been to the toilet for 3 days.

System being blocked by many for no reason.

[bluesofa]

19 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Accident and emergency rooms at government hospitals are over crowded, staff over stretched due to the many people blocking the place with silly little none emergency ailments, ooh my nose is running, or i not been to the toilet for 3 days.

System being blocked by many for no reason.

I'd agree with that. There seem to be a lot of hypochondriacs with very minor ailments who need some pills to make them happy.

Or is it that Brits tend to wait until it's something more serious before going to the hospital?

[AhFarangJa]

I do not think this is solely a Thailand issue. Hospitals all over the world suffer the same problems. As posters above have said it is often people with minor scratches or ailments crowding the system. I do not know what the answer is to this problem, maybe a type of screening of patients to filter out non emergency on arrival. But then who will do that, and what criteria would have to be used....

[neeray]

51 minutes ago, colinneil said:

Accident and emergency rooms at government hospitals are over crowded, staff over stretched due to the many people blocking the place with silly little none emergency ailments, ooh my nose is running, or i not been to the toilet for 3 days.

System being blocked by many for no reason.

Worldwide problem Colin. Exactly the reason I no longer go to emerge in my home country.

Stitches: Screw it. It'll seal up on it's own (and it always does).

Fever: Go to bed.

Stomach ache: Probably just a fart stuck in crossways.

[moe666]

13 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

I do not think this is solely a Thailand issue. Hospitals all over the world suffer the same problems. As posters above have said it is often people with minor scratches or ailments crowding the system. I do not know what the answer is to this problem, maybe a type of screening of patients to filter out non emergency on arrival. But then who will do that, and what criteria would have to be used....

Overflowing emergency rooms is a known problem, i some cases due to people not having a regular Dr. to visit for lesser issues that left untreated can become major problems. I use to work at a hospital in the boiler room the entrance to the emergency room was in clear view of our shop. Friday and Saturday nights were the action nights, car wreck victims, injured drunks, drive by shootings, stabbings, beatings, and just plane old accidents. On ocassion the police were called in to haul off relatives and friends who could not set and wait but needed to interfer with treatment or gang members seeking retribution. Yep a problem world wide no need to get carried away and think it is only a Thai issue they are too dumb to handle

[Nyezhov]

55 minutes ago, trd said:

Triage is an integral aspect of all accident & emergency departments the world over. 

 

 

There is triage and there is triage. You know what I meant.

 

 

 

[trd]

There is triage and there is triage. You know what I meant.
 
 
 

Triage just prioritizes who should be treated first. It doesn't solve the problem of hundreds of people turning up to the emergency room who shouldn't be there. Of course they wouldn't turn anyone away, but they may have to sit there for several hours with a cut finger while the real emergency cases get treated.

[faraday]

My experience in A&E at a Government hospital was very good.

 

I was seen immediately by a nurse who took BP & BG, a Doctor examined me within 10 minutes, & appropriate treatment given.

 

 

[atyclb]

3 hours ago, colinneil said:

Accident and emergency rooms at government hospitals are over crowded, staff over stretched due to the many people blocking the place with silly little none emergency ailments, ooh my nose is running, or i not been to the toilet for 3 days.

System being blocked by many for no reason.

 

sooo true.  other thing is the hordes of drivers that dont use seat belts adds to severity of injuries due to stupidity.

[NancyL]

Every A&E I've seen in Thailand, the incoming patients have their vital signs checked immediately upon arrival.  That wasn't done in this video.  If the boy had an extremely high fever, low blood pressure and maybe had experienced some seizures, he would have been triaged appropriately. 

 

While this video made a good point, it didn't depict what seems to be normal and good medical practice here. 

[DannyCarlton]

10 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Every A&E I've seen in Thailand, the incoming patients have their vital signs checked immediately upon arrival.  That wasn't done in this video.  If the boy had an extremely high fever, low blood pressure and maybe had experienced some seizures, he would have been triaged appropriately. 

 

While this video made a good point, it didn't depict what seems to be normal and good medical practice here. 

I took my son to A&E in Bangkok Pattaya hospital with a badly cut lip. Was seen immediately, promptly stitched and was out of A&E in 45 minutes.

[Sheryl]

It is a problem everywhere but skilled triage nurses make a world of difference in ensuring that, despite the crowding, care is given promptly to true emergency cases. That does mean that everyone else has to wait longer, of course.

 

Indeed, extremely long waits for people with non-urgent complaints is often actually a good sign indicating patients are being seen based on urgency rather than when they arrived. (Or how much they complain).

 

This video was poorly designed/chosen as the case (child unconscious with high fever) was in fact an emergency and any competent triage nurse would have sent the child straight inside to be treated at once.

 

 

[Benmart]

The article is about Thailand. I filter the comments that compare it to "back home".

[Golden Triangle]

WRT Thailand, see back on topic ???? I don't know if hypochondria is part of the genetic makeup here, it seems that every Thai I know, particularly females, seem to have a huge bag of prescription pills ?

 

If I have a minor ailment my Mrs asks if I want to go to and see the doctor, I always refuse and invariably the problem sorts itself out in a few days. Her and her friends on the other hand are in the doctors at the drop of a hat, velly stlange. ????

[JMSIII]

8 hours ago, colinneil said:

Accident and emergency rooms at government hospitals are over crowded, staff over stretched due to the many people blocking the place with silly little none emergency ailments, ooh my nose is running, or i not been to the toilet for 3 days.

System being blocked by many for no reason.

Classic of a government run business.  Hospitals are a business and should be run by business people who understand how to get things done.  One simple thing to start with would be to prioritize patients by their ailments, if it's just a running nose or some other lowest of level ailments, they will just have to wait for a few hours, or go to a local pharmacy, heart attack symptoms you get immediate attention...

[PPMMUU]

One could say that there are some uniqueness regarding this problem in Thailand.

 

Many Thais do not understand that if you visit an emergency room with a non-emergency problem you have to wait until all emergency patients are treated.

[justin case]

no triage here in thailand, to see who is really needing urgent care ?

 

first come first serve

[Sheryl]

Certainly there is triage.

 

Which is exactly why the people with non-urgent problems have such long waits.

[PPMMUU]

There is triage

it is something many Thai patients do not understand

[atyclb]

5 hours ago, DannyCarlton said:

I took my son to A&E in Bangkok Pattaya hospital with a badly cut lip. Was seen immediately, promptly stitched and was out of A&E in 45 minutes.

 

 

likely lucked out at a time they did not have more acute cases.

[atyclb]

1 hour ago, PPMMUU said:

One could say that there are some uniqueness regarding this problem in Thailand.

 

Many Thais do not understand that if you visit an emergency room with a non-emergency problem you have to wait until all emergency patients are treated.

 

 

many americans in usa have the same mindset. stuffed nose that arrived before the pnemothorax is upset

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, atyclb said:

 

 

many americans in usa have the same mindset. stuffed nose that arrived before the pnemothorax is upset

 

yes, all over the world this is an issue.

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, atyclb said:

 

 

likely lucked out at a time they did not have more acute cases.

 

Bangkok Pattaya is one of the most expensive hospitals in Thailand.

 

ERs in the most expensive private hospitals are rarely very busy so waits aren't usually long, often none at all. But you pay a premium for that, and also, because the volume of cases are low, these ERs are far from the best facilities to be in for something really major as the staff have less experience/expertise.

 

Waits at large government hospitals are long unless your condition is truly life threatening, amenities are few to none so they are often uncomfortable waits at that. But there is likely no better place to be in a real emergency. The sheer volume of cases they see, means that the staff are very experienced. It also means that they have round the clock fulltime physicians in the ER itself; not unusual in a private hospital to have to call a doctor from elsewhere in the hospital to attend.

[metisdead]

Off topic posts and replies about the US/UK have been removed. 

[hotchilli]

12 hours ago, bluesofa said:

I'd agree with that. There seem to be a lot of hypochondriacs with very minor ailments who need some pills to make them happy.

Or is it that Brits tend to wait until it's something more serious before going to the hospital?

Britain, England or UK as you wish to call it has a working system... 

You are registered with a local clinic/doctor which is your first point of contact, they will examine you and prescribe treatment or medication as required.. no need for a hospital visit.

Should you need hospital services they will arrange an appointment to see the particular hospital/doctor in your area that you require to best treat your ailment.
Hospitals are not the first port of call for aches, pains, minor cuts, common colds, and the other hundreds of reasons why Thais go to the government hospital at 3 am and expect a wait of 12 hours to see a doctor.
They should use the local clinics which are in their areas!

[zaZa9]

More emphasis on PREVENTATIVE measures , particularly on the roads may help a lot.

Enforce helmets , enforce speed limits , enforce seat belt wearing , enforce laws against ghost riding , 3 up , children riding , unlit vehicles , unlicensed drivers/riders/vehicles ,   bald tyres and brake inspections .... and see space in hospitals waiting rooms appear !

 

Its not rocket science.

[NancyL]

From what I've seen, the E/Rs function very well here. 

 

If I cut my finger in a kitchen accident, I'm headed to Chiang Mai Ram, within 300 meters of home where I know they aren't very busy most of the time, will accept my Bangkok Bank accident insurance policy with direct billing and I'll be on my way within an hour to finish dinner prep.

 

If I think Hubby or I are having a heart attack or stroke, I'd probably enlist the services of the tuk-tuk that hangs outside our condo and put the victim on the floor of the tuk tuk roar off to Suan Dok hospital (aka Chiang Mai University Hospital) where the interns, residents and professors are at-the-ready along with state-of-the-art equipment to treat someone in dire straits to save lives.  I'd never think of going there with my kitchen cut.  I'd be waiting hours and hours for a few stitches.   

 

 

[ThaiRebound]

I went to a government hospital, waited for a couple hours to be seen, the "doctor" was an intern with the word "Veterinarian"on his scrubs. I didn't ask. I also didn't return for the x-ray or blood-test results.  

[roo860]

I went to a government hospital, waited for a couple hours to be seen, the "doctor" was an intern with the word "Veterinarian"on his scrubs. I didn't ask. I also didn't return for the x-ray or blood-test results.  

Did you have distemper?

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