Sometimes the most painful part about going to the emergency room (ER) is the wait time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average hospital ER wait time to see a physician is nearly 56 minutes. Knowing where to go and how long the wait time in the ER is now as simple as point and click. Sylvan Grove Hospital recently introduced a new way for patients to find out ER wait times, before they ever leave the house.

Before heading to the ER, residents can now access the hospital’s website at www.sylvangrovehospital.com and check out the average door-to-bed wait time. Door-to-bed wait time is the average time a patient waits to be escorted to a bed from the time they arrive in the ER. The time is tracked using a statistical tracker system that transfers data to an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feed. The feed automatically displays and updates the time online. Wait times reflect a rolling two-hour average and are updated every five minutes. Patients are seen in priority order based on the type and severity of their medical complaint.

“We know that families are busier than ever and that every minute matters when you are ill or have a minor injury,” says Ed Whitehouse, COO/Administrator at Sylvan Grove Hospital. “Our team has worked hard to ensure that patients receive attention when they most need it and now our community will know just how long the average wait time to a room is before they ever leave the house.”

The technology is designed for patients with relatively minor medical conditions. Patients with potentially life-threatening health problems should call 9-1-1 so they can receive life-saving measures in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. Patients with medical emergencies, such as heart attack, stroke or traumatic injuries, are always seen immediately.