A Saskatoon man undergoes invasive medical procedures in a hospital corridor due to overflow capacity
A 36-year-old man spent several days in the corridors of the Royal University Hospital this summer being treated for swelling of his brain because there was no place for him to stay.
Kay Roberts said, “It’s scary. It’s the scariest medical experience I’ve ever had.”
Roberts was experiencing confusion and headaches, which were increasing. lost, He was taken to the Saskatoon ER to seek medical attention on the morning of August 4.
Roberts never thought she would receive invasive medical treatment in a busy hallway. He spent four nights and five days on a stretch bed, experiencing confusion and other cognitive issues due to his condition.,
“That’s really the only memory I have of those days. The lights were on all the time, it was very difficult to sleep, people were walking by all the time. ” Roberts said.
He underwent medical procedures in the hallway, including plasma replacement that required inserting a tube into his jugular vein. According to his family, the technician was “obviously anxious” about performing the procedure, which took approximately three to four hours at that location.
“Crates filled with plasma were lying on the floor and had to be moved so other people could get there.” The family wrote in a statement of events to the Saskatchewan NDP, which the opposition party released Friday morning.
“This treatment was critical to his recovery from encephalitis and needed to be done immediately to prevent and reverse neurological problems.”
Before receiving medical attention, Roberts’ family said he spent nine hours in the ER waiting room. His understanding was diminishing and he could no longer remember his parents’ names.
The family called a nurse and staff were able to get a CT scan before returning to the waiting room. According to the family’s account, Roberts was driven back and forth throughout the day.
When a neurologist returned to Roberts, she struggled to find a private area to share test results.
“This clearly distressed her, as she was uncomfortable sharing these results across the aisle,” the Roberts family wrote.
In total, Roberts spent 10 days in the ER and “temporary overflow areas” before being moved to the neurology ward.
Roberts said she was extremely grateful for the medical care she received from doctors and nurses.
“But it’s really no secret to me that practicing medicine is a really difficult situation to be in. In a hallway. And I could just see the frustration.”
His mother Maureen Roberts said it was a very stressful situation for her son, his family and the medical staff.
“As far as nurses are concerned , I do not know how. Honestly, they are amazing in that environment. The medical care was amazing. The situation, the way it was carried out, was terrible,” she said.
At a news conference Friday morning in Saskatoon, NDP health critic Keith Jorgensen said providing care in the hallway is absolutely unacceptable.
Jorgensen said, “I have to admit that I was shocked when I read this story. I was really shocked that we’ve gotten to the point where these complex medical procedures are being performed in a hallway.”
Jorgensen said the family deserves an apology. He also wants Health Minister Jeremy Cockerill to visit the emergency department at RUH to see the situation first-hand.
In a statement to CBC, the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) said it would “welcome the opportunity to meet with this patient to better understand him and learn from his experience.”
The health authority said it is “taking immediate action to address these capacity pressures by improving flow through Saskatoon hospitals, including improving emergency room wait times.”
It added that SHA leaders are engaging daily with teams, including emergency departments, to manage capacity pressure, in addition to “ongoing efforts” to add acute care capacity in Saskatoon.
This will include an expansion of 109 acute care inpatient beds at Saskatoon City Hospital in the coming year.
