(Image: Allan Dearing)
Ambulance New Brunswick believes its so-called “treat and release” option for paramedics will help cut down on offload delays at hospitals.
An offload delay is when a patient remains in the care of a paramedic before they can be admitted to the emergency department.
Paramedics are now treating and assessing patients on-site for non-urgent needs rather than transporting them to hospital.
Medavie president Richard Losier, who oversees Ambulance New Brunswick, says many patients could be better served at walk-in clinics, by their family doctor or by a pharmacist rather than going to the ER.
“Based on our numbers about 20,000 calls are less acute and should not be transferred or potentially not be transferred to hospitals.”
If the case is an emergency, Losier says don’t hesitate to call 911 for issues such as chest pains, fractures or signs of stroke.
“But when it’s not urgent… you sprain your ankle or you bump your knee… unfortunately some people do call ambulances. Even some people post on social media that if you want to get through to the emergency department faster, call 911 and get an ambulance – that is totally false.”
