ER visits on rise | Health officials ponder setting up flu assessment centre in area

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By ADAM BOWIE
bowie.adam@dailygleaner.com

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Crowds of coughing, sneezing people have been flooding local emergency rooms and medical offices, increasing the strain on health-care providers.

Patient traffic at the Oromocto Public Hospital has jumped by about 58 per cent over the past few days, and increased by about 25-30 per cent at the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital.

Executive director Nicole Tupper said health officials are monitoring the situation.

It may be necessary to set up a flu assessment centre in the region, similar to what's been done in the Saint John area, if those numbers continue to rise, she said.

The centres, which are designed to alleviate pressure in emergency rooms, would act as a triage site for patients who are experiencing influenza-like symptoms.

If the attending physician determines a patient requires additional care, the patient will be referred to the most appropriate health-care facility.

Tupper said most of the increased traffic involves people who are experiencing flu-like symptoms, but many of those patients should be managing their condition themselves unless it becomes more serious.

"My concern is that a large number of those don't need to be seen in the ER," she said.

"Don't go to the emergency department at the first sign of a fever, or the first sign of a cough. (People) need to stay at home, get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids and should only seek medical attention in the ER if they would normally have to go to an emergency room for treatment."

She said people should only seek emergency medical assistance if they have a pre-existing medical condition, or they have trouble breathing, experience chest pains, their fever has lasted more than three days, they display symptoms for other illnesses, or their symptoms become severe.

"Those are the people we need to have coming to the emergency department because they may need immediate interventions," said Tupper.

"But the people who have a slight fever, or a sore throat, or aches and pains, and otherwise are doing OK, are not the people we need to see in our ERs."

The same thing is happening at the waiting rooms in local family practices.

Dr. Paul Smith said he's having lots of discussions with his patients about the pandemic flu, and whether they should receive the H1N1 vaccine.

He said people have been hearing different things, and they're seeking his advice about whether they should roll up their sleeves for the shot.

"There's lots of confusion and there's lots of people that feel strongly one way or the other - for or against it," he said.

"We know that the recommendations are there, but people still want to debate it, look at it and try to get around that somehow. And, as you know, there's been a lot of confusing issues and topics and information been given. (Health officials have) changed their mind on several things and it's not a black and white (issue)."

Smith said people should decide for themselves whether they want to get the shot.

"Every case is different. And you throw in emotions or past history or people that say, 'It upset me before. I'll never take another flu shot,' and you kind of weigh that in with the situation and try to give them a little scientific information," he said.

"But people make their own mind up, basically."