Ambulance pts in waiting room

Trauma Columnist · Sep 11, 2004

We send ambulance patients all the time to triage first and then if their situation warrants it - the waiting room. We also let people know that just by calling 911 they don't go to the head of the line necessarily.

Katnip, RN · Sep 11, 2004

We do the same. When they come in they get a quick triage and if stable, go to the waiting room to the back of the line.

If all EDs did this, then maybe someday people will "get it."

curlynurse · Sep 11, 2004

We do it all the time as well. My favorite is when a non-urgent patient who walked in doesn't want to wait and CALLS 911 FROM THE WAITING ROOM OR AN OUTSIDE PAY PHONE. When they are then brought in the back by ambulance we send them back out to the waiting room with the new triage time. So annoying!

missnurse01, MSN, RN · Sep 11, 2004

we also do the same as the above posters said and we are a small hosp...it's interesting that we get the pts from mvc's that were walky talky on scene, demand a ride to er, get sent to waiting room and you can't find them when it's their turn...guess they got tired of waiting.

apaisRN, RN, CRNA · Sep 11, 2004

We do it all the time as well. My favorite is when a non-urgent patient who walked in doesn't want to wait and CALLS 911 FROM THE WAITING ROOM OR AN OUTSIDE PAY PHONE. When they are then brought in the back by ambulance we send them back out to the waiting room with the new triage time. So annoying!

That's hilarious! I bet they're steaming mad. You could play that game all day. Waiting room, ambulance, waiting room, ambulance.

When I worked in ER (registration, before I was a nurse) they would occasionally send ambulances to triage, usually only for serious frequent fliers with hangnails or whatever. 911 was still generally the fastest way in, if you had a complaint with the slightest bit of legitimacy.

hipab4hands · Sep 12, 2004

How common is it in your ER to put a totally NON-EMERGENT ambulance pt in the waiting room?
I've read lots of posts and c/o about putting bogus amb pts in rooms, why not send them to the waiting room???
Is there some sort of law against doing this? Of course, I mean only the obvious BS ones, like FFs with chronic back pain, stubbed toe, toothaches, etc. I've only seen it done a couple of times, so is it more common in big cities with bigger ERs?

The ER at our facility does it all the time and/or they will leave them out in the hallway on the gurney, if they complain they are to "sick" to sit in the chairs in the waiting area.

I have patients tell me all the time they are going to call an ambulance, so they won't have to wait. I tell them that calling an ambulance doesn't get you to the head of the line, and that most likely the pt is going to get billed for the ambulance ride. When they hear that the ambulance ride alone is going to cost them $800 or more and not covered by insurance, it's amazing how fast their "illness" goes away.

RN92 · Sep 12, 2004

The problem with bringing back every ambulance pt is ...when that pt having a true emergency comes in (maybe several at a time if in MVA) all of your beds are full and the nurses are at their max nurse/pt ratio.

One of my fravorite moments is when a pt in the waiting room decided to come back to the nurses station and holler about having to wait to be seen for her spider bite. The Doctor said very calmly, "Ma'am, if you can convince any of the other 60 pts in the waiting room to trade places with you, then we'd be glad to move you up in the line" She mumbled under her breath and went back out to the WR. He was so cool to work with. :rotfl:

Dixielee, BSN, RN · Sep 12, 2004

Just adding one more answer that it is done a lot. I am a traveller, and most places I go, non emergent patients get sent to the waiting room after triage assessment. Calling 911 is no guarantee of moving to the head of the line. I love it when they come in on the stretcher and have to get up to walk to the triage chair then the waiting room. I have lots of stories about non urgents coming by ambulance, but my favorite is a little lady who came in by ambulance with the complaint of a "growth" in her umbilicus. She had been cleaning it with betadine daily and a few times it "almost fell off", but she put it back. Her "growth" was a healthy case of very clean belly button lint. I was able to skillfully remove it with my hemostats while she was still on the ambulance cot...in the hallway! :rotfl:

needsmore$ · Sep 17, 2004

we also will triage nonurgent ambulance pts to the wr. make sure your triage/hospital policy/procedures state that triage can do this-our's originally said that ambulance pts would be deemed urgent and sent directly to the acute care area and triage rn would assess walk-ins. we almost got cited by the state once : we had a full ed-wait time of several hours, and a guy came in by ems w/ a nonurgent c/o. he was seen by triage and removed from stretcher to the wr. this guy/family complained to the state that they had to wait- then the state came and crawled all over our policy/procedure manuals-what a nightmare. it's bad enough when the inspectors come but when they show up unannounced---recipe for a bad day.

anne

**canoehead, BSN, RN** · Sep 18, 2004

Dixielee- she put it back??? What for- hoping it would grow back??

What a dip.LOL

missionnurse · Sep 20, 2004

We do it all the time as well. My favorite is when a non-urgent patient who walked in doesn't want to wait and CALLS 911 FROM THE WAITING ROOM OR AN OUTSIDE PAY PHONE. When they are then brought in the back by ambulance we send them back out to the waiting room with the new triage time. So annoying!

That happens to us ALL the time. We do the same--back to triage! And now their wait is even longer! :rotfl: