Imagine being in an overcrowded emergency room with dozens of people waiting their turn to see a doctor. Someone has a broken leg and a deep cut, someone has a potential heart attack, and then someone else has a minor scrape. People with minor issues often end up in the ER, and this causes strain on emergency rooms because they have nowhere else to go.
The strain on emergency rooms is a barrier to healthcare that prevents people from getting the help they need when they need it the most. Patients in Ontario sat in emergency rooms for an average of 22 hours before being admitted and getting medical attention.
One way to overcome this healthcare barrier is by addressing healthcare issues with mobile medical vans. At MoveMobility, we manufacture customized mobile medical vans for organizations that provide healthcare around Canada. All of our vehicle modifications are certified by Transport Canada and we also have the Q-Pro Quality certificate from Stellantis.
As you read this article, you’ll get a better idea of how mobile medical vans can reduce the strain on emergency rooms. If you have any questions about our mobile medical units along the way, don’t hesitate to talk to an expert.
Why do people go to emergency rooms before anything else?
Emergency rooms are often the first stop for many seeking medical care. This in itself can lead to significant overcrowding and strain on the healthcare system. The ER is the first stop for so many people because they think they might be facing a serious medical emergency. The ER is the first place people think of when they need medical attention.
For example, if someone experiences chest pain, they might head to the ER because they think they’re having a heart attack.
Lack of primary care: In some areas of the country, people don’t have proper access to primary care. They might have trouble securing appointments with their physician and instead opt for the ER.
Ranges of services: Another reason why so many people go directly to the ER is the perception that they provide dozens of services. Someone with an undiagnosed condition might go to the ER and expect a full evaluation under one roof.
Lack of awareness: Sometimes people simply need to learn that there are many alternatives to the ER. The misunderstanding that there aren’t any can end up clogging the healthcare system and cause delays.
Fear: Lots of people end up in the ER because they believe their symptoms indicate serious health issues. For example, someone with stomach pain might go to the ER because they think it’s a ruptured appendix or something even worse.
Let’s start taking a look at how mobile medical vans can reduce the strain on emergency rooms.
How can mobile medical vans reduce the strain on emergency rooms?
A mobile medical van is a traveling doctor’s office. It has wheels and goes to different places around Canada to help people who can’t easily get to a hospital. Inside, are doctors or nurses and medical equipment to check patients’ health, treat them, and teach them how to stay healthy.
Mobile medical units reduce strain on emergency rooms in several ways.
Preventative care for minor medical issues
The first way that mobile medical units can reduce strain on emergency rooms is by offering preventative care. Preventative care means taking steps to stay healthy and stop sickness before it starts or gets worse. It’s like wearing a helmet when biking to avoid getting hurt. This care includes check-ups, vaccines, and tests to catch any health issues early, making it easier to keep you feeling your best.
Preventative care is a proactive strategy to keep people with non-urgent health concerns from flooding emergency rooms. It makes sure that people in the ER with serious needs receive prompt attention first.
Mobile health clinics also excel at early detection. They help catch health issues before they become serious. When you provide timely care, these units prevent the escalation of minor problems into major emergencies, which significantly reduces the strain on emergency rooms.
Imagine someone getting a regular check-up at a mobile health clinic. If they find a health issue early, the healthcare team in the van can take care of it before it becomes a big problem down the road. This helps the person and also eases the pressure on emergency rooms.
Bringing healthcare to neighborhoods
Mobile medical vans bring healthcare right to where it’s needed. This makes it easy for people living in isolated and remote communities. It’s helpful because people can get the care they need without going long distances to crowded emergency rooms.
Another way this helps is by keeping people in communities informed that there is an alternative to going to the ER. When they know that all they have to do is visit the nearby community medical van, they’re less prone to going to the ER and waiting for 20+ hours for medical attention.
Example: Think about a town far from big hospitals. If a mobile medical van visits the town often, people there can get help without having to travel. This means less pressure on emergency rooms and more focus on serious cases.
Education and awareness
A mobile health clinic can be used for more than just healthcare. Your organization can also use it to educate communities about health and wellness. When you raise awareness and share health information, people learn to make better choices. It contributes to overall community health and can help reduce unnecessary visits to the ER.
For example, picture a mobile health clinic hosting a session about preventing common illnesses in a neighborhood. This is a proactive approach and is a win for both individuals and emergency rooms.
As we mentioned earlier, your organization can also teach people when and when not to go to the ER.
Efficient use of resources reduces long-term strain on emergency rooms
Mobile medical clinics bring efficiency to healthcare. When these units are strategically placed in underserved areas, they ensure a smarter use of resources. These resources can then be directed to emergency rooms.
When the local health needs of a community are catered to with mobile medical units, the emergency rooms can focus their efforts on critical cases. They don’t have to allocate their time and resources to cases that could have been easily resolved in a mobile medical clinic.
Consider a suburban area with limited access to hospitals. If you place mobile health clinics there, the community benefits and it lessens the load on emergency rooms. It’s like a targeted approach to healthcare.
Your next steps with MoveMobility
You landed on this article while researching mobile medical units and how they can reduce the strain on emergency rooms.
As you can see, mobile medical vans are important for our health system. They help by preventing small health issues from causing chaos in emergency rooms. From giving early care to educating communities, these vans are changing how people stay healthy.
At MoveMobility, we manufacture mobile health clinics so that organizations can create a future where everyone can get the care they need on time. This eases the pressure on emergency rooms and builds healthier and happier communities.
From here, we suggest you read our article on the costs and possibilities of mobile medical van customization. This article will give you some insight into what’s possible with a mobile health clinic.
We also think you’ll like our article on how mobile medical units break barriers to people receiving healthcare.
If you have any questions, feel free to contact one of our commercial mobility experts by clicking the button below.
