Long Wait Times at Hospitals: What is the Solution?

Daniela Hrizo, 10/8/24

It is a rising problem that throughout the nation, patients must wait a while to receive treatment or care in hospitals and ERs (emergency rooms). This number varies throughout the country. According to US News, “Maryland has the longest average wait time before patients are seen by a doctor in the emergency room at 53 minutes. The shortest is 13 minutes, which is the average time you'll wait in both Colorado and Utah.” However, at the end of the day, averages don’t best represent each patient’s experience. Long hospital wait times have been an issue that people have been adamant about addressing. Contrary to popular belief, there is a complex system in place that is imperative for the hospital to function on top of several other factors, and it is not easy to shorten these wait times.

Why are wait times at hospitals so long?

There are a couple of factors:

1. Insufficient Healthcare Resources

2. High Patient Demand

3. Geographic Disparities

4. Limited Operating Hours

5. Triage Prioritization

*All information is derived from WaveTec*

Insufficient Healthcare Resources

Hospitals often lack enough staff and equipment to accommodate the patients that come in. A limited bed capacity is also common in hospitals with an influx of patients. Plus, on holidays, there may not be as many staff, which thus lengthens the wait time.

High Patient Demand

This comes along with a lack of healthcare resources. Hospitals are consistently busy, so on top of perhaps not having enough supplies or equipment can heavily impact how long patients have to wait.

Geographic Disparities

Some areas, especially impoverished and rural areas, are underserved medically. It is common for hospitals in these regions to be in small quantity and far apart as well as lacking in advanced technology, staff, or accommodations for patients. This adds to wait times in two ways: patients will have to commute much further to reach a hospital and hospitals may be underequipped.

Limiting Operating Hours

Some hospitals may have shorter or limited operating hours. This means that there may be an influx of patients during opening hours and the wait time may be significantly longer.

Triage Prioritization

Triage prioritization is the most direct reason for wait times in hospitals. Essentially, patients that register get evaluated on a triage system so that the patients with the most severe cases that need to be seen the soonest get help first. Patients are assigned different colored tags that explain the severity of their situation:

Red - The patient needs immediate treatment because their case is life-threatening.

Yellow - The patient still needs immediate treatment but their case isn’t as severe. They may be treated first because they have a higher chance of surviving than red-triaged patients.

Green - The patient has less severe injuries and does not need immediate treatment.

White - The patient is not ill or injured or has a case so minor that a doctor is not necessary to treat it.

Black - The patient is deceased or mortally wounded. Because they cannot be helped, they are a low priority.

*All information is derived from verywellhealth*

Overall, wait times at hospitals are compiled from a multitude of factors, all of which are crucial to the functioning and organization of the facility. Although long wait times may be inconvenient and stressful, it is important to recognize that the hospital is working to its best ability to accommodate each patient accordingly. Plus, some factors of wait times are out of the hospital’s control, like their geographical location. Throughout the US, different facilities face their own set of difficulties, like a lack of staff, resources, etc. Nevertheless, hospitals are the epitome of mass organization and efficiency through systems like triage prioritization, and healthcare professionals are dedicated to supporting every patient as quickly as possible.