Emergency Room Frequently Asked Questions

Why are patients who arrived after me being seen before me and how long will I wait?

On average we see 145 patients each day in our emergency department. The length of time you spend in the emergency is affected by:

• patients arriving by ambulance at the other side of the hospital
• an unexpected number of patients arriving for treatment
• waiting for a specialist to arrive and assess your condition
• waiting on results of diagnostic tests

While waiting, you may see patients who are immediately admitted.  If this occurs please understand that our goal is to make sure that patients with more urgent conditions receive care as soon as possible. 

You may also see patients who are sent to the Fast Track area.  These patients are seen by different staff for less serious conditions and will not postpone your wait for more urgent emergency care.

We have a large emergency department, with many rooms spread out in several halls.  Because of this, the waiting rooms may be empty and the ED may not appear busy, even when it is nearly full of patients to be seen. 

Am I allowed to have any visitors in the room with me?

You are allowed 2 visitors.  Due to the size of the rooms and our concern for patient privacy, visitors may be asked to leave in the event our staff needs to perform a procedure or needs better access to provide you proper care.

When I look outside my room, I see people looking at computers.  What are they doing?

Our hospital is a state-of-the-art facility.  Therefore, we rely heavily on computers to aid in the diagnosis of your condition as quickly and accurately as possible.  Staff members are likely using computers to read lab results or x-rays. 

Why do questions seem familiar?

It is important that you always provide answers to questions, even if you have already answered them.

This is because:

• Your information may have changed since we last saw you.
• Your condition may have changed since the last time you were asked.
• Your provider may want to hear your answer first hand to better understand you.

The best way we can provide you with the proper care is to always provide our staff with answers to the questions they ask.