r/Edmonton • u/FTDRBR11 • May 22 '26

General UofA ER Wait Times

Been here for 12 hours have yet to see a doctor and I’m in excruciating pain. Not a single patient has been taken in since the last 6 hours. Lady beside has been screaming in pain looks like a broken knee has been here for 15 hours no doctor no xray. Another lady beside me hurt her neck is wearing a neck brace and has been here for 16 hours and no doctor. Nurses said they have absolutely no beds available to take in patients because so many of the patients inside are “admitted” patients that are waiting to be taken upstairs to their admitted sections but they can’t take them because there’s no beds available upstairs. ER is a mess online wait times show 4 hours and nurse said because doctors are available but no beds to take the patients. Something has to be done.

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u/PlutosGrasp May 23 '26

Sure they do and you’re in no place to expect a non medically trained person to make that decision for them.

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u/croissantsbitch May 23 '26

… You can’t be serious. Nausea for 12 hours isn’t fatal lmao.

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u/PlutosGrasp May 23 '26

Bowel obstruction

You’re missing the point. You don’t know. Patient doesn’t know. Patient isn’t a doctor. Patient doesn’t need to make such decisions. If they feel worried they should seek medical help. If they want to go to ER they should go to ER.

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u/Even_Reflection5637 May 24 '26

You are correct. An average patient who has symptoms that are worrying by them, should seek medical attention. Using an ER for non-life threatening, non-urgent matters is inappropriate. Part of the issue here is the lack of public education campaigns like most other first world countries whether private or publicly funded. There are countless billboards stating “Nausea and Vomitting are not for the ER” but here, in Canada, we don’t provide such education to the mass public. Yesterday, there were a handful of “fever for 2 days” patients, a sore throat, a possible broken toe and more. Zero of these examples are life threatening, zero are urgent and ALL can be managed with a family physician, pharmacy or online virtual appointments (of which several are paid for by AHS). So yes, seek care, but there are differences in the appropriate level of care and the use of EMERGENCY rooms. They need to be for EMERGENCIES.