"Emergency room: why is the wait sometimes so long?" Here's how it works and what you need to know
The association for citizen participation and protection answers questions about rights and access to health services.
Key points
"A few evenings ago I went to the emergency room for severe back pain. After registration I was assigned a green code. I waited for almost four hours, while other people came in after me earlier: a lady in respiratory distress, a young man with an injury, a man on a stretcher. I asked myself several times if they had forgotten about me or if there was a criterion I did not know. I would like to better understand how the organisation of waiting in the emergency room works
Marco M.
The situation described is very common and understandably can generate frustration, uncertainty and a sense of injustice. However, it is important to know that in the emergency department, it is not the order of arrival that applies, but that of clinical severity. On entry, each patient is assessed by a nurse through triage, a procedure that assigns a priority code according to medical condition. This system serves to ensure immediate care for those in the most serious situations.
How waiting works: the codes
The main priority codes are: Red - Absolute emergency: immediate access; Orange - Urgency: risk of rapid deterioration; Yellow - Deferable emergency: serious but stable condition; Green - Non-urgent: potentially long wait; White - Mild, non-urgent condition. It is therefore possible - and correct from a clinical point of view - that people who arrive later are visited earlier, if in a more serious condition. If the situation changes, one is entitled to re-evaluation. If during the wait the condition worsens, the patient is entitled to request a triage re-evaluation. This step is provided for in the procedures and protects the citizen's safety. Each person is also entitled to receive clear and comprehensible information about: the code assigned, the reasons for the choice, and the status of the patient inflow.
Emergency and community services: using each service in the right way
The emergency department is structured to handle emergencies and emergencies. For non-urgent problems it is more appropriate to refer to: general practitioner, continuity of care (on-call doctor), outpatient clinics and territorial services. The correct use of health services helps to reduce overcrowding and, consequently, waiting times for everyone.
