September 19, 2017
SOUTH ZONE — Real-time estimated emergency department (ED) wait times for Chinook Regional Hospital in Lethbridge and Medicine Hat Regional Hospital are now online, giving southern Albertans another tool to help them decide where to access care for themselves and their families.
Available on Alberta Health Services’ website and mobile app, patients and the public can access up-to-the-minute wait times in the ED 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The wait times posted reflect an estimate of how long it takes from being assessed by a triage nurse in the emergency department to being seen by a physician.
The times are calculated through a software system that uses current data from the facility that compares the number of people in the emergency department and how sick they are with how many resources are available and required to treat those patients.
This calculation does not take into account seriously ill patients, who will be seen immediately, and patients with non-urgent concerns, who may wait longer to be seen depending on resources.
Wait times do not represent the total time patients may spend at the hospital.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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