The nurses of the Archipelago live with concern the overflow situation suffered on many occasions by the emergency services of the Islands, hence They request the Ministry of Health and the rest of the administrations involved to carry out the pertinent measures to tackle the conflict. “The problem worsens every year and has serious repercussions on the quality of care,” he asserts. Luis Vega, a nurse at the Emergency Department of the Insular University Hospital of Gran Canaria and secretary of the Canary Islands Council of Official Colleges of Nursing.
Overcrowding is a common problem throughout the autonomous community, but the capital islands are the most affected. In fact, as he relates, It is common for hospitals in Gran Canaria and Tenerife wake up with almost 90 patients in the areas because there are no beds available on the floor. “This means that we also run out of beds in the boxes and have to attend to patients in the corridors – on the morning of this Monday there were more than twenty in their workplace. Some of those who enter can stay there for days,” laments Vega, who also reports that the stretchers used outside the pits are smaller. “Actually, they are mattresses that are usually worn out from use, so the comfort is not the same.”
Island Hospital
In the specific case of the Insular Hospital, access to the bathrooms is another of the conflicts, since it has very few assisted services. «The patients who are in the corridors practically do not use the bathrooms because they are very far away. In addition, many of them have to be cleaned on the stretchers, an action that reduces the quality of care, “says the health worker.
But the situation of chaos also affects the work of professionals. So much so that many times they are forced to queue to use the computers. «Although the squad is reinforced out of necessity, the space remains the same. It must be taken into account that we have to record all the care, write reports and print labels to be able to do analyzes, “says Luis Vega.
“There are delays of up to 12 days to have an appointment with the family doctor,” notes Vega
In the nurse’s opinion, “Emergency is the red light that comes on to alert that the health system has a problem.” In this sense, he emphasizes the need to Strengthen Primary Care. «Right now there are delays of up to 12 days to be able to have an appointment with the GP, but it is also true that there are people who do not cancel their appointment if they cannot attend. This makes the clinical picture of many patients worsen and they require urgent assistance », she warns.
Misuse of emergencies
Now, the other side of the coin is put by those who make a misuse of emergencies and decide to move directly. “You have to encourage both self care as the health education so that these episodes do not occur, ”he assesses.
Another issue that worries the Canarian Council of Official Colleges of Nursing is he bed deficit that exists in the social health centers, a fact that leads many older people to occupy hospital beds. “We consider that the different administrations are not taking the correct steps. On the one hand, Canary Islands it needs to create 8,709 socio-sanitary places. On the other, not a single stone has yet been moved to expand the Insular Hospital with the reform of the old University College of the palms –GUILTY– nor has the annex building been opened to the Hospital Juan Carlos I».
Workgroup
In order to delve into all the factors that have repercussions on the quality of care, the corporation has decided to create a workgroup. “We have representation from all the public hospitals on the Islands, with the exception of Doctor Negrín, because we have not yet managed to contact anyone. Our purpose is to continue growing”, explains Vega.
Right now, the group is evaluating all the actions that should be included in a roadmap. The next step will be to request a meeting with the competent administrations. “We want to make the conflict visible and, of course, for them to listen to us,” remarks the professional from the Insular Hospital.
