Mar 13, 2008 7:09 pm US/Eastern
Flu Season Puts Strain On Emergency Rooms
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
This winter's harsh flu season is taking a critical toll on local emergency rooms.
We've seen nearly 11,000 confirmed cases of the flu here in Massachusetts so far this winter -- more than triple the number we had last year.
And the surge in flu cases has people flooding local emergency rooms, causing even longer waits than normal.
"It's particularly bad right now because of our normal volume, the beds in the hospital are almost completely full," said Dr. John Olshaker of Boston Medical Center. "This flu season has brought us a double-whammy situation."
Add to that the fact that we continue to live longer and more of us suffer from chronic health conditions such as heart disease or asthma.
And with fewer primary care physicians to help patients manage those conditions, many of them end up in the emergency room.
"Emergency departments are getting increasingly busy," Olshaker said. "At the same time, over the past decade the number of beds in hospitals and emergency departments has gone down. And a number of hospitals and EDs have closed."
Physicians say hospitals and lawmakers need to find ways to improve efficiency and increase the number of hospital beds to help ease overcrowding.
"We really need to think into the future about how to enhance our ability and make sure we have adequate physicians to take care of patients," said Dr. Bruce Auerbach, president-elect of the Massachusetts Medical Society.
"There need to be efforts in hospitals, and in city, state and the federal governments to come up with positive solutions to the problem."
This year's vaccine did not protect against one of the most aggressive strains of the disease, which has contributed to the problem. Manufacturers are already revamping the flu vaccine for next winter.
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