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This article fails to mention that ER departments tend to be underfunded; hospitals typically do not generate much revenue through ER departments and they are o

This article fails to mention that ER departments tend to be underfunded; hospitals typically do not generate much revenue through ER departments and they are often blamed for losing money. There are many articles out there, this is just the first one I grabbed. https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/7-things-to-know-about-emergency-department-profitability.html https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/finance/7-things-to-kn... https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-article/emergency-rooms-labeled-biggest-crisis-american-health-care https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/newsletter-art... With little motivation to staff up, this seems like the predictable outcome.

creato 7y ago
Why is this relevant at all? Why is violence in an ER a predictable outcome of understaffing? That makes no sense.
- cmiles74 7y ago
  Less staff means higher wait times, long wait times lead to frustrated and angry patients. People with mental health issues might be less able to manage a longer and more stressful visit. Exhausted providers might me less effective managing upset patients. And so on. This article calls out people with mental health or drug addiciton specifically. "As doctors and nurses administer care, they risk physical assaults from drug-addicted or emotionally disturbed persons"
  - brippalcharrid 7y ago
    Mental illness exacerbated by drug use that leads to ER visits is a pretty disordered state of affairs to begin with. There are plenty of legitimate reasons that would make sense for a person to wait an hour or so in an ER once they have been stablised/triaged, such a for observation, further diagnostic tests, or the attention of a particular specialist. An otherwise-healthy person can generally deal with this without getting violent, even if they're feeling a bit stressed, but if someone's tripping balls and being chased by robotic dinosaurs, then it's no wonder that people are acting out and behaving in ways that transgress social norms.

creato 7y ago

Why is this relevant at all? Why is violence in an ER a predictable outcome of understaffing? That makes no sense.

cmiles74 7y ago
Less staff means higher wait times, long wait times lead to frustrated and angry patients. People with mental health issues might be less able to manage a longer and more stressful visit. Exhausted providers might me less effective managing upset patients. And so on. This article calls out people with mental health or drug addiciton specifically. "As doctors and nurses administer care, they risk physical assaults from drug-addicted or emotionally disturbed persons"
- brippalcharrid 7y ago
  Mental illness exacerbated by drug use that leads to ER visits is a pretty disordered state of affairs to begin with. There are plenty of legitimate reasons that would make sense for a person to wait an hour or so in an ER once they have been stablised/triaged, such a for observation, further diagnostic tests, or the attention of a particular specialist. An otherwise-healthy person can generally deal with this without getting violent, even if they're feeling a bit stressed, but if someone's tripping balls and being chased by robotic dinosaurs, then it's no wonder that people are acting out and behaving in ways that transgress social norms.