Hallway patient care no longer needed, but Alberta hospital staff say root causes not addressed
CTV
Health care staff are urging the province to take action as Edmonton hospitals moved patients into hallways amid what Alberta Health Services called a long-weekend induced "high demand for acute care services."
Health care staff are urging the province to take action as Edmonton hospitals moved patients into hallways amid what Alberta Health Services called a long-weekend induced "high demand for acute care services."
According to AHS, facilities in the Edmonton health zone enacted "short-term" surge protocols late Tuesday to promote "patient flow" and "manage the high number of admitted patients waiting" in emergency departments.
As of Thursday afternoon, AHS says hallway care is no longer required as capacity requirements have returned to normal.
"Units are no longer being asked to proactively take an additional patient, though this practice may be in place on certain sites and units as part of normal surge capacity protocols," said James Wood, AHS spokesperson, in a statement to CTV News.
"Thank you to the teams throughout the zone for their tireless work to support the current patient demand."
Wood called it "common" to see a surge of patients after a summer long weekend but noted Alberta's capital city hospitals are already managing high patient volumes, including an increased number who require isolation and inpatient units on outbreak status.
During the surge period, AHS instructed acute care staff have been directed to review all patient cases to see which could be moved to their home health zone and if any continuing-care residents could return to their long-term care or supportive living home.
