This is what so many people want I think. A quick assessment to know if they should wait 6 hours to be seen. What would be the fall out of a mistake in the assessment though?
This wouldn’t have helped much during my 4 1/2 hour wait for an ambulance last November when I had a heart attack.
I can just see how this will play out:
Operator – Please can you type in your symptoms
User – I can’t do that
Operator – Sir, if you don’t fill out the questions we will have to disconnect the call as we can’t move onto the next screen.
User – But my hands are still in the farm machinery a mile away…
In the example used, Poor old Derek could well have had spinal column damage or a Herniated Disc and be heading toward paralysis without prompt attention. I’m not sure Pauline could diagnose this without an XRay, but hey, what do I know.
How about a better diet, people here put pies in rolls ffs
It will to some degree. The best solution would be more GPs and more walk-in centres to deal with those who go to ED for minor issues, followed by doing more to increase and retain current ED staff and making it so that understaffed departments can treat patients quicker. With 18 hour waits now common across the country at peak times, you are going to need a lot of strategies to deal with the crisis.
My local GP have pretty much forgone in person appointments entirely. It sucks having to do everything over the phone and I can’t help but feel like things are being missed.
Yet more phone and video calls to avoid actually seeing people won’t help. We need access to actual doctors that see people in person. When I’m due an appointment to see my renal specialist, I need to actually see them. How else are they going to check my kidney for early signs of damage? When I need a GP appointment for my asthmatic daughter, how can they check for a chest infection without listening to her breathing? How do they know she’s on the right inhalers without checking her lung function?
It’s impossible and a dangerous waste of time to try.
6 comments
This is what so many people want I think. A quick assessment to know if they should wait 6 hours to be seen. What would be the fall out of a mistake in the assessment though?
This wouldn’t have helped much during my 4 1/2 hour wait for an ambulance last November when I had a heart attack.
I can just see how this will play out:
Operator – Please can you type in your symptoms
User – I can’t do that
Operator – Sir, if you don’t fill out the questions we will have to disconnect the call as we can’t move onto the next screen.
User – But my hands are still in the farm machinery a mile away…
In the example used, Poor old Derek could well have had spinal column damage or a Herniated Disc and be heading toward paralysis without prompt attention. I’m not sure Pauline could diagnose this without an XRay, but hey, what do I know.
How about a better diet, people here put pies in rolls ffs
It will to some degree. The best solution would be more GPs and more walk-in centres to deal with those who go to ED for minor issues, followed by doing more to increase and retain current ED staff and making it so that understaffed departments can treat patients quicker. With 18 hour waits now common across the country at peak times, you are going to need a lot of strategies to deal with the crisis.
My local GP have pretty much forgone in person appointments entirely. It sucks having to do everything over the phone and I can’t help but feel like things are being missed.
Yet more phone and video calls to avoid actually seeing people won’t help. We need access to actual doctors that see people in person. When I’m due an appointment to see my renal specialist, I need to actually see them. How else are they going to check my kidney for early signs of damage? When I need a GP appointment for my asthmatic daughter, how can they check for a chest infection without listening to her breathing? How do they know she’s on the right inhalers without checking her lung function?
It’s impossible and a dangerous waste of time to try.