ER wait times

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So I'm a new emergency nurse and I'm wondering how everyone else deal with the dreaded question:

"How long is the wait going to be?" Or " is the doctor going to be seeing me soon?"

I'd love to learn some creative and polite ways to say sorry you will be waiting 7-8 hours to see the doctor about your constipation!

Specializes in Emergency Room.

If its triage a nurse i know will tell them, "the next patient to be brought back has been waiting for 3 and a half hours. Be prepared to wait at least that long."

If its in the back I just tell them I have no way of knowing but the doctor has several patients and he will make his/her to you when he can.

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Specializes in ER, Med-surg.

It used to kill me when we'd have people come in through the front door with obvious serious emergencies (GSW, old ladies with full-blown stroke symptoms, etc) and be taken straight back past the crowd in the waiting room, and people who'd been waiting for their stitches to be removed or whatever would come up and fuss about "why that person got to go first."

BECAUSE THEY'RE DYING. DID YOU SEE ALL THE BLOOD AND SCREAMING? DO YOU WANT TO TRADE PLACES WITH THEM?

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Specializes in ER, progressive care.

I always chime in on the "patients are seen by acuity, not the order they come in" and also add that patients coming in by EMS can also shift things around based on their acuity. I acknowledge that patients/families are upset because they want to the see the doctor or whatever so I always try to help them within reason - maybe get another blanket, get them something to eat/drink (if applicable), another pillow, ice pack, etc. That seems to work most of the time.

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Specializes in Emergency.

I tend to not use the word "acuity" as a lot of folks don't seem to understand what it means. I pretty much say people are seen in the order they arrive and the dying guy comes first.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.

"We try to get everyone seen and out by sunrise."

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At our hospital we do educate patients on Acuity and that the most sick are seen first. We have also created a pamphlet for our lobby to explain the entire process from when they check in to when they are discharged or admitted and what they can expect. Labs, Radiology and more. I think explaining to them why they are waiting is huge. We also have nursing protocols. So we can starts labs and give medications like tylenol, motrin, zofran in the waiting room. This cuts down the time in the back.

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It used to kill me when we'd have people come in through the front door with obvious serious emergencies (GSW, old ladies with full-blown stroke symptoms, etc) and be taken straight back past the crowd in the waiting room, and people who'd been waiting for their stitches to be removed or whatever would come up and fuss about "why that person got to go first."

BECAUSE THEY'RE DYING. DID YOU SEE ALL THE BLOOD AND SCREAMING? DO YOU WANT TO TRADE PLACES WITH THEM?

Waiting to have stitches removed? Isn't that what a PCP is for? Or how about Urgent Care. SMDH.

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I find the best way is to let them know we can't provide an exact time frame and there are xyz people waiting before you, however as your nurse I'm able to give you this analgesia, perform these blood tests, take that wound swab, order this X-ray and commence fluids etc, which means most diagnostics will be completed when a doctor does see you.

Patients are generally a lot happier when we help their symptoms and reduce their wait times by initiating care (each facility will have care sets nurses can implement).

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Did you use to go to the ER frequently?

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I'm not an ER nurse I work LTC.. But I would just keep a stern but polite tone. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience and we will get to you as soon as we can. We get to the sickest people first."

But Ya know there will always be patients with a mild cough who think they're sicker than the GSW. Nothing you can do about that. I had a resident chase me down and ask why her ducosate NA was late as I was covered in blood, tears down my face, because my other patient had an undiagnosed aneurysm blow and I tried to suction him.. Ended sending him to hospital DOA. Was the most traumatic moment of my life but you know, that woman needed her stool softener...

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I'm not an ER nurse I work LTC.. But I would just keep a stern but polite tone. "I'm very sorry for the inconvenience and we will get to you as soon as we can. We get to the sickest people first."

But Ya know there will always be patients with a mild cough who think they're sicker than the GSW. Nothing you can do about that. I had a resident chase me down and ask why her ducosate NA was late as I was covered in blood, tears down my face, because my other patient had an undiagnosed aneurysm blow and I tried to suction him.. Ended sending him to hospital DOA. Was the most traumatic moment of my life but you know, that woman needed her stool softener...

I use the the word unstable over sickest. When walkie talkies tell me they are unstable while I am running through the hall trying to find enough epi to make an epi drip on a guy we are coding at 4 am I usually they'll them to go back to their room and someone will be with them when they are free.

If they still throw a fit ( always at a nurses station or in the hallway) I tell them "this is not a public area, you need to go back to your room. You are free to sign out ama, or wait for someone to see you. Many insurances do not cover aka sign outs. So if you go that route you may be o. The hook for the bill. I don't know the specifics of your insurance. "

If they still protest I call security.

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