As an ER doc, the rise of chair care is frankly demoralizing | Leters to the Editor

4 days ago 17

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As an ER doc, the rise of chair care is demoralizing

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Crowding in Canadian emergency departments, as a direct result of almost criminal government inaction has indeed led to clinical workarounds such as examining patients in hallways, chairs and ambulance bays where privacy and patient confidentiality are regrettably largely expediently forgotten as we try to evaluate patients before they ether become critically ill or leave the ER in frustration.

One emergency physician was quoted as saying “You don’t ask patients their deepest, most personal questions when there’s someone sitting in a chair next to them.”

The reality is that indeed we do. Waiting for the relative privacy of a stretcher is like waiting for Godot. So we do our best but inevitably, sometimes someone hears something they shouldn’t.

Our regulatory colleges would sanction a physician or nurse for discussing a patient’s case in a hospital elevator but say absolutely nothing about the corruption of this basic tenet of medicine in the ER hallway.

Unacceptable and frankly demoralizing.

Alan Drummond, MD, Perth

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I experienced endometriosis 43 years ago. It seems little has changed

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Re: This painful, common disease has no national action plan

Two things stood out for me from your excellent article on endometriosis : how lucky I was, and how little has changed in the 43 years since my encounter with the disease.

In 1983 I was fortunate enough to be referred for surgery by an astute female doctor at the Dalhousie University health centre, and within a month or two I found myself under the care of a very capable surgeon who removed all of the offending tissue. I have been pain free ever since and went on to bear two healthy children. But my experience was not in line with those of the many women I met through a fledgling support group, who spoke of searing pain and seeming indifference, neglect and condescension on the part of the health care system. If anything, it seems that the standard of care for those afflicted with endometriosis has gotten worse, not better.

How can nearly half a century go by with no apparent progress on this front? It hardly seems believable. I thank Elizabeth May for her petition initiative and I urge our government to finally give this devastating disease the national attention it deserves.

Kathleen McHugh, Russell

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What the ByWard Market can learn from Carleton Place

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My husband and I had a wonderful lunch in Carleton Place today. We live in Kanata so very easy, no stress and no traffic drive. Free parking on all streets, had lunch and browsed shops at our leisure.

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We would love to have lunch in ByWard Market and people watch. Not happy with expensive and time limit parking. No enjoyment of our time.

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I know, we can take bus and then jump on LRT at Tunny’s one day when we have lots of time and feel adventurous. Life is short so we will risk it.

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Elizabeth Maat, Kanata

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Unanswered questions around Mooney’s Bay stabbing

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The article regarding the recent stabbing of two people at Mooney’s Bay makes clear that the entire community (victims, neighbours, police, general public) want to see the suspects arrested. And yet no description of the suspects has been released, despite the police stating they have clear video footage of them. This is both standard and critical information. What is the reason the descriptions of the suspects have not been released?

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Michael Baker, Ottawa

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