The estimates are updated hourly and can change based on current conditions, with life-threatening cases seen immediately, Island Health says.
Estimated wait times to see a physician at the eight major hospitals on Vancouver Island are now online.
The newIsland Health ER wait-timetool, announced Thursday, comes after years of demand for real-time hospital ER wait-time estimates.
“I want to express my gratitude to the communities we serve for their patience — and to the Island Health teams who put in so much work to ensure we are providing the most accurate information possible,” said Marko Peljhan, Island Health’s vice-president for acute clinical operations.
Island Health said the estimated wait times are calculated at each site using daily and hourly ER data from the day a person visits and the previous eight weeks — for example, it will say nine out of 10 patients will be seen within the estimated wait time, and most people should be seen sooner.
The estimates are updated hourly and can change based on current conditions, with life-threatening cases seen immediately.
At 10 a.m. on Thursday, the wait at Victoria General Hospital was seven hours and 28 minutes, while at Royal Jubilee Hospital it was six hours and 23 minutes, and at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, the estimated wait was three hours and 44 minutes.
The new webpage is atislandhealth.ca/findcare, which includes information about Urgent and Primary Care Centres and community-based resources.
“It’s important for people to be able to easily find and understand the different care options that are available to them, so they can make the best choice for themselves or a loved one,” said Peljhan.
Dr. Ben Williams, Island Health’s vice-president of medicine, quality, research and chief medical officer, hopes the new resource will allow frontline staff and physicians to better focus on providing care, given the most common question from patients is how long they will have to wait.
Island Health said people in need of immediate emergency care should never hesitate to call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
The health authority said it’s also hiring more doctors and nurses and investing in community-based services, including home care, long-term care and primary care, to reduce the burden on emergency departments.
It says it added more than 800 new nurses last year.
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