Kansas City-area hospitals warn they’re overwhelmed.Families say they’ve waited 10 hours in the emergency room to be seen.And it’s limited to Kansas City. This is a nationwide problem. Sometimes there is no wait in the Kansas City emergency room, and sometimes it takes hours to see a doctor. “Sepsis, pancreatitis, head injury,” read aloud. His list tells a story we cannot see. He pointed to a number on the monitor. “There are people in our hallway waiting for beds.” Not what I want to do. Larsen, who is also the Capacity Manager Officer for St. Luke’s Systems, doesn’t want to wait in the emergency department. St. Luke’s Emergency Room Thanksgiving Week for Flu and Respiratory Symptoms.Larsen pulled out a line chart charting his six years of flu in St. Luke’s Health System patients.In 2016 had 191 flu cases, the most the health system saw in his week. In 2021, due to masking during the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical system said he did not confirm a single case of flu in the entire flu season from November to February. “I see a lot of people coming just because they need to be tested,” Larsen said. “Sometimes people have to wait six to eight hours in the emergency department. Some people just wait to be tested.” Larsen, an emergency department doctor, said these extra personnel interfere with other patient care. “It’s everything else. It’s heart attacks, strokes, traumas, falls, stomachaches. These are the things we’re used to seeing them normally. But an extra 900 or 1,000.” When you look at the volume of patients in the United States and you’ve been testing for respiratory viruses for a week straight, you can see how easily and how vulnerable the system is,” said Kenneth Marshall of the University of Kansas Health System. , said: The staff are doing their best, but every department is understaffed, from nursing care to environmental services to food. Some left during the pandemic, others stayed. Healthy people left on the floor are overwhelmed because they, or their family members, are currently ill. “It’s exhausting. When our triage nurses are dealing with patients and patients’ families, they come back and say, ‘I’ve been waiting, I’ve been waiting for an hour, I’ve been here for two hours.’ ‘ It’s very difficult because you can see them suffering. If you can’t, it wears on you.It will change in the future. The University of Kansas health system is expanding its emergency department. By October 2023, he plans to increase the number of beds from 53 to 78. In most cases, we can test her for flu, RSV, and COVID-19 with quick results. Other options include local convenient care, and telemedicine appointments. We strongly encourage anyone with symptoms to get tested for her COVID-19 at home. If it was negative, he assumed you had RSV or the flu and told you to stay home. Rest and get away from other people for a few days. If you find it difficult to breathe, become dehydrated from vomiting, or become confused, go to the nearest hospital emergency department. He also mentions the times when emergency departments are busiest. Schools, and people quit their jobs. It is in short supply nationwide due to RSV and influenza. Both cause headaches, muscle aches, and fever. Both Tylenol and ibuprofen can relieve symptoms. The unprecedented flu season has caused shortages of these common drugs. Shawn Sood, a pediatric ICU physician at the University of Kansas Health System, explained why there’s a shortage of drugs that don’t work against viruses. “So, if my child has the virus, the chances of him getting an ear infection, pneumonia, or a urinary tract infection are actually higher. More Since children are infected with viruses, we are seeing an increase in bacterial infections.” Drugs other than amoxicillin that can treat bacterial infections. Sood also added that the shortage of amoxicillin is only in liquid form. It is still available in capsules. For young children, sprinkle the contents of the capsule on your child’s favorite food. He recommends applesauce or yogurt. He believes this will be a severe cold and flu season that will last well past the holidays. From six beds he expanded to ten, borrowing from his other ICUs on campus. Sood says he gets two calls from hospitals that need children for each bed that is available in the PICU. He says his PICU has already had pediatric patients from Oklahoma, Nebraska, St. Louis and Iowa this year.
Kansas City-area hospitals warn they’re overwhelmed.
The family said they waited as long as 10 hours to be seen in the emergency room. This is a nationwide problem.
In the Kansas City emergency room, sometimes there is no waiting time, and sometimes it can take hours.
Dr. Mark Larsen displayed a screen on a computer monitor and read, “Sepsis, pancreatitis, head injury.” His list tells stories we can’t see.
He pointed to the numbers on the monitor.
“These are allowed. They are waiting for beds upstairs,” he said. “There are people in our hallway waiting for beds.”
Waiting is not what you want to do in an emergency.Larsen too St. Luke’s system The Capacity Manager Officer doesn’t want to wait in his emergency department.
“We’re having a flu season like we haven’t seen in years,” he said.
About 1,100 people came to St. Luke’s emergency room for flu and respiratory symptoms during Thanksgiving week.
Larsen has created a line chart that shows the flu over six years for Saint Luke’s Health System patients. In 2016, she was the most flu case the health system saw in her week with 191. In 2021, due to masking during the COVID-19 pandemic, the medical system confirmed that she had not had one flu case in her entire season from November to her February flu. did.
“I see a lot of people coming just because they need to be tested,” Larsen said. “Sometimes in the emergency department he’s been waiting six hours, he’s been waiting eight hours. Some people are just waiting to be tested.”
Larsen, an emergency department doctor, said he didn’t want the extra personnel to interfere with the care of other patients.
“It’s not just respiratory viruses that we’re seeing now,” he said. “It’s everything else. It’s heart attack, stroke, trauma, falls, abdominal pain. These are the things we’re used to seeing them normally. If you’ve been tested for respiratory viruses for a week when you’re sick, you can see how easily and how vulnerable that system is.”
Dr. Kenneth Marshall University of Kansas Health System “It was very dramatic. Some days the wait was five to six hours. This is even for very sick patients. It’s not because the staff isn’t working hard.”
Staff are working hard but are understaffed in all departments, from nursing to environmental services to food. During the pandemic, some left and some stayed. Healthy people remaining on the floor are overwhelmed because they or their family members are currently ill.
Marshall describes what so many people in the emergency department feel, calling it a moral burden.
“It’s exhausting. When our triage nurses are dealing with patients and patients’ families, they come back and say, ‘I’ve been waiting, I’ve been waiting for an hour, I’ve been here for two hours.’ ‘ It’s very difficult because you can see them suffering. If you can’t, it wears on you.
That may change in the future. The University of Kansas health system is expanding its emergency department. By October 2023, the number of beds will increase from 53 to 78.
if you have symptoms
St. Luke’s Larsen advises people with severe flu-like symptoms to go to the hospital. urgent carein most cases we can test for influenza, RSV and COVID-19 with fast results.Other options include area convenient careand telemedicine appointments.
We strongly encourage anyone with symptoms to get tested for COVID-19 at home. If it was negative, he assumed you had RSV or the flu and told you to stay home. Take a few days off and stay away from other people. If you have trouble breathing, are dehydrated from vomiting, or are confused, go to the nearest hospital emergency department.
He also mentions the times when emergency departments are busiest – afternoons, when kids leave school and people leave work.
Lack of pediatric care
Talk to any parent right now and they will tell you that they ran to the store and found medicine for their children.
It is in short supply nationwide due to RSV and influenza. Both cause headaches, muscle aches, and fever. Both Tylenol and ibuprofen can relieve symptoms. An unprecedented flu season is causing shortages of these common medicines. Amoxicillin It’s also on the hard-to-find list.
Dr. Shawn Sood, a pediatric ICU physician at the University of Kansas Health System, explained why there is a shortage of drugs that don’t work against viruses.
“Once you have the virus, you actually tend to get a second infection,” he said. “So if my child has the virus, the chances of getting an ear infection, pneumonia, or urinary tract infection are actually higher. More children are getting the virus.” So we see an increase in bacterial infections.”
Sood said there are drugs other than amoxicillin that can treat bacterial infections.Sood also added that the lack of amoxicillin is only in liquid form. It is still available in capsules. For young children, sprinkle the contents of the capsule on your child’s favorite food. He suggests applesauce or yogurt.
But Sood didn’t expect it to be an easy winter for his parents. He believes this will be a severe cold and flu season that will last well past the holidays. From six beds he expanded to ten, borrowing from his other ICUs on campus. Sood says he gets two calls from hospitals that need children for each bed that is available in the PICU. He says his PICU has already had pediatric patients from Oklahoma, Nebraska, St. Louis and Iowa this year.
