Why the Emergency Department is So Busy

In the emergency department, patients often wonder why they aren’t seen fast enough, or why their problems aren’t completely solved, or why the tests they want cannot be run.

Doctors and nurses in the ED also grumble and ask each other, “Why did the patient come here for that? Don’t they know this isn’t the place for such issues? Why didn’t they go to their pediatrician’s office in the morning?”

And pediatricians bemoan, “Why did my patient go to the ER for that? Why didn’t they call our office first?”