CALGARY - An independent health board is recommending significant changes to help reduce chronic overcrowding in Calgary's emergency rooms.
The Health Quality Council of Alberta put emergency room procedures and urgent care facilities under the microscope over the past year.
Dr. John Cowell says the system has to be run more efficiently and recommends a triage system in emergency rooms, where those likely to be admitted to hospital are given priority over those likely to be sent home.
Waiting times in Calgary emergency rooms hit an all-time high of 13 hours last spring.
Cowell also notes that Calgary hospitals are running at about 98 per cent capacity and are unable to handle any kind of a "surge" in additional patients.
He says the health region is still a couple of years away from increasing bed numbers so it has to find a way to deal with problems in the emergency rooms soon.
