Without More Acute Care Beds, Hospitals are on Their Own to Grapple With Emergency Department Crises

In the current edition of CMAJ, Yao and collaborators present a study focusing on British Columbia, elucidating the trajectory of emergency department (ED) visits in the post-COVID-19 era. Their investigation unveils a return to baseline levels of ED visits during the summer of 2021, following a marked decline in the pandemic's initial months, with subsequent sustained escalation. Notably, EDs are grappling with patients of heightened acuity, increased mental health and substance use-related visits, and a surge in hospital admissions. It is noteworthy that ED utilization has surpassed population growth rates, reaching a zenith from May to August. These findings unequivocally substantiate the crisis afflicting Canada's EDs, a topic recently deliberated in CMAJ. Hospitals operating at occupancies exceeding 90% over extended periods compromise care quality, staff retention, and perpetuate ED overcrowding—a conspicuous symptom of the larger problem. Given the reluctance of federal and provincial leaders to augment acute care capacity, hospital leadership, staff, and physicians find themselves bereft of systemic support.