Quebec’s healthcare system is on the verge of collapse with emergency room wait times rising dramatically. A new study by the Institut économique de Montréal (IEDM) rings alarm bells for the 2024-2025 administration year. In Quebec’s ERs, the median wait time is currently 2 hours and 23 minutes. This is more than a 20% increase in wait times over just the last five years. Dr. Gilbert Boucher, president of the Association of Specialists in Emergency Medicine of Quebec, has highlighted a concerning trend: more patients are experiencing prolonged stays in emergency rooms while waiting for a bed in another department.
Wait times are growing dramatically. As if this challenge wasn’t enough, this increase comes at the same time as an increasing elderly patient population, which increases by 2%-6% annually. This demographic change makes it even more difficult to get care and puts even more pressure on a system that is already stretched thin. Dr. Boucher looks to government policy as a large part of the problem. Of special note to him is the recent disappearance of a $1.4 million funding envelope meant to improve emergency room practices, which disappeared with Premier François Legault’s government.
Increased Pressure on Emergency Services
Dr. Boucher’s observations highlight a major flaw in our emergency healthcare system. He adds that a third of emergency room beds are routinely filled due to hospital overflow. All of this combines to make patient wait times significantly bleak. Patient flow in hospitals has a significant impact on emergency medical services. When the waiting rooms are overcrowded, patients who need timely care, especially urgent or emergent patients, may experience dangerous delays.
Lead author of the IEDM report, Emmanuelle B. Faubert, backs up Dr. Boucher’s concerns. She warns that “the system is breaking” and that even providers who are in network can’t afford to provide patients with care in a timely manner. The new report raises median wait time to the report’s key indicator. It demonstrates that while half of the patients benefit from shorter waits, half of them wait longer, both exposing the inequitable access to emergency services.
Quebec is not shying away from these challenges. Other provinces have become national leaders by rolling out provincewide emergency room wait time reduction strategies. For instance, Manitoba has launched an initiative designed to alleviate pressure on its healthcare system, focusing on more efficient patient management and care delivery.
A Call for Systemic Changes
Dr. Boucher is a passionate proponent of a healthcare model that would be similar to American Urgent Care Centers. He cites the most successful facilities, such as the Jeffrey Hale Minor Emergency Clinic in Quebec City, as the best in class. He thinks that taking on models like these would go a long way to making emergency care more efficient and improving patient throughput within the system.
Faubert encourages healthcare leaders to take a page from the playbook of successful practices created overseas. She underscores the value of linking family physicians and local community health centers (CLSCs) with hospitals emergency departments. This connection is critical for enabling equitable patient access to care. Many times, patients are using emergency services for conditions that could be appropriately treated in their primary care home. This disconnect results in needless complications for the healthcare system.
The contrast with the rest of the provinces makes Quebec’s situation all the more galling. In British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario, the median length of stay is roughly four hours. Newfoundland and Labrador is able to report a median wait time substantially lower at 2 hours and 45 minutes. These numbers are a stark contrast to Quebec’s growing waitlist times and highlight the need for proven solutions.
Future Implications for Healthcare Delivery
Like many other health systems, Quebec’s healthcare system is facing increasing strain. Immediate action is more necessary than ever to address these dangers. The continuing trend of increasing wait times is alarming and has urgent consequences on patient care and public health.
Dr. Boucher’s comments speak to a growing recognition on the part of providers that urgent reform is needed to emergency services. By prioritizing funding and adopting innovative models from other regions, Quebec could potentially alleviate some of the burdens currently faced by its healthcare system.
