The State of Emergency

The State of Emergency

Insight- The State of Emergency screened on Tuesday 1st September at 7:30pm. The piece posed the question; can we fix our ailing hospital emergency departments?

Doctors and nurses say they're struggling to cope and this can sometimes lead to tragic consequences. According to one study, overcrowded emergency departments are responsible for up to 1,500 deaths a year, as high as the nation's road toll.

"Given the recent media attention surrounding public hospitals, we brought together doctors, nurses and patients to talk about emergency departments and the existing pressures on the hospital system across Australia. An overwhelming message we received from doctors and nurses working in emergency departments was that they are being stretched to the limits," explained 'Insight' producer Johnny Luu.

Insight presented The State of Emergency in "a lively forum and many issues were raised including communication, lack of beds and over-worked physicians," continued Luu.

"When some patients shared their stories of long waits or mistakes being made, the doctors were sympathetic. Interestingly, what came out of the forum was the understanding from the community. Most people didn't blame doctors and nurses when things went wrong, but the system they're forced to work in."

"This was an issue that almost everyone could relate to. Almost everyone has a hospital story to tell. I think the show gave a sense of how complex the issue of hospitals can be," concluded Johnny Luu.

The State of Emergency

Can we fix our ailing hospital emergency departments?

Doctors and nurses say they're struggling to cope and this can sometimes lead to tragic consequences.

According to one study, overcrowded emergency departments are responsible for up to 1,500 deaths a year, as high as the nation's road toll.

Join INSIGHT as we hear from doctors and nurses who work in emergency and the patients who turn up there.

What every patient should know when an emergency arises.