Why the wait?

I HATE waiting to see my doctor. I hate waiting in lines. I hate sitting in traffic. 

In a world where instant gratification is increasingly the norm, waiting to see a doctor is frustrating and even can feel unfair. 

There are several reasons why waiting for healthcare services is often necessary. 

Similarly, you might be in a better position compared to the individual receiving healthcare while you wait.

In Australia, health funding is a finite resource.

There are a limited number of doctors, nurses, specialists, administration staff, beds and ambulances available. 

This is further exacerbated on the Fraser Coast given our aging population, increased rates of chronic disease and population growth. 

With this limited supply of funding, it means that there will inevitably be wait times for appointments, procedures, and surgeries. 

It’s simply not feasible to treat everyone simultaneously.

Triage or prioritisation is a term used in healthcare. 

To use the emergency department as an example, most departments will have five levels: 

Level 1 – Immediate: life threatening

Level 2 – Emergency: could become life threatening

Level 3 – Urgent: not life threatening

Level 4 – Semi-urgent: not life threatening

Level 5 – Non-urgent: needs treatment when time permits.

Emergency situations must take precedence over less critical issues. 

This means that patients with non-life-threatening conditions may have to wait longer compared to those with more pressing needs.

Some strategies to implement to minimise you waiting times, includes presenting to the healthcare facility that will best assist your complaint. If the condition is life-threatening, present to the emergency department.

It is also important to have a regular General Practice that you attend, whilst it may not be your regular doctor, the practice will have your records on file assist you with and not limited to, sprains and strains, bites and stings, infections, minor injuries, chronic disease and preventative care. 

Other avenues to seek care include your pharmacist, optometrist and other allied health professionals.

https://www.qld.gov.au/health/services/emergency/keep-emergency-for-emergencies

As clinicians we are sorry that you need to wait, and we also acknowledge the importance of your time. 

Our system remains underfunded and understaffed to care for our aging population. 

Despite some of our system challenges, we do to have good health care system compared to many parts of the world.

DR NICK YIM GP-Torquay Doctors