Emergency and Urgent Care

You should go to your nearest Emergency Department if you require emergency or urgent care related to a serious injury, illness or condition. This is especially important if you are experiencing symptoms and have an existing chronic condition, including heart disease, kidney disease, or diabetes.

Come to the Emergency Department immediately if you need care for symptoms such as:

• injuries or illnesses of infants six months of age and younger
• chest pain or abdominal pain
• shortness of breath
• pregnancy-related emergencies
• internal bleeding
• numbness or weakness in arms or hands
• major trauma
• mental health issues
• seizures or stroke symptoms

Our services are covered by a valid Ontario health card. Please note babies six months of age or younger should visit Osler’s Emergency Departments. Visit the Urgent Care Centre for illnesses or injuries such as:

• sprains, strains or broken bones
• allergic reactions or skin rashes
• asthma attacks
• minor burns
• cuts that might need stitches
• earaches or eye injuries
• fevers, coughs and colds
• infections
• nose and throat complaints

Please bring:

• your Ontario health card
• any additional extended/private health insurance information
• your prescription and non-prescription medications (bring a supply as you may need to wait or may be admitted to hospital)
• any important information about your allergies or other medical conditions
• a brief list of questions or concerns
• water and one extra piece of clothing for warmth
• a quiet activity for you, your child or older adult while you wait (i.e. reading material)

Please do not bring:

• expensive or valuable items (please note you are responsible for any belongings)

1. Greet
   • When you arrive, a nurse will greet you and ask the reason for your visit.
2. Triage
   • Your care starts here. A nurse will ask more questions about your illness or injury. The sickest patients are seen first.
3. Registration
   • A team member will ask for your information, give you a wristband and tell you where to wait to sit.
4. Waiting area
   • How long you wait to see a physician depends on how serious your condition is, how busy the department is and how many very sick patients need care.
5. Initial assessment
   • A nurse practitioner and a doctor will ask questions about your health, examine you and may order tests to help find out what is wrong.
6. Tests/consults
   • If you need tests you may need to sit in the waiting room until the test is ready or until results are available.
7. Diagnosis/treatment
   • When test results are ready, the doctor will explain your diagnosis and talk about treatment options.
8. Discharge/admission
   • The doctor and nurse will decide if you can go home (with follow-up care instructions), need to see a specialist, need more tests or must stay in the hospital.

Wait times depend on a few things, including how busy the hospital is when you arrive. Your wait may also be affected by:

• the number of tests you need (e.g. bloodwork, ECG, urine sample, x-ray, CT scan)
• whether your emergency doctor is consulting with another specialist
• whether you are being admitted to the hospital and need to wait for an available bed (if this applies, emergency staff will continue to care for you until you are moved to your room)

For your reference, real-time wait times are available online. We are committed to reducing wait times as much as possible while we provide safe and effective care.

Before you leave the hospital, the doctor will share your diagnosis and instructions for your follow up care if needed. We are here to help, so ask questions. We can also provide written instructions, if needed.

If you need non-emergency support after you return home, contact your family doctor or nurse practitioner. The hospital will have sent them notes about your visit. If you do not have a doctor, you can visit a walk-in or urgent care clinic for non-emergency care.

When you return home, we may ask you to complete a short, confidential survey about your experience with us. This information helps us to know how we are doing and what we can do better.

• Answering questions
  • Different team members may ask you the same question. This ensures we don’t miss any important information about your care.
• Interpreter services
  • If you want to speak in another language, have vision or hearing difficulties or need a Sign Language interpreter, please let us know.
• Personal belongings
  • Please leave personal items and valuables at home, or with a family member. If you are alone, ask us for a bag.
• Visitor policy
  • Adult patients: one visitor allowed
  • Child patients: two visitors allowed
• Food and drink
  • Do not eat or drink until you see a doctor. Some tests or treatments need you to have an empty stomach and eating or drinking may delay your care.
• Cell phones
  • Please keep noise to a minimum.
• Videotaping/photography
  • For safety and privacy, videotaping, recording and taking photos are not allowed.
• Respectful workplace
  • Our health care team is here to help you. Please treat staff with kindness and respect.
• Transfers
  • If you are admitted, you may need to be moved to another Osler site. Your care team will discuss this with you and your family.
• Transportation
  • You must pay for your transportation home, including if you arrived by ambulance or from long-term care. Please ask a team member if you need help making arrangements.

• Infant care

  • Babies six months of age or younger should visit the Emergency Department.

Keep in mind:

• If you have any questions or if your condition changes while you are with us, tell a nurse.
• How much time you spend in the Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centre depends on what tests you need, whether you need a specialist, whether you need to be monitored after your treatment and whether you need to stay in the hospital.
• For your safety, do not leave the Emergency Department or Urgent Care Centre until a doctor sees you. If you feel you must leave, speak with a team member first. They will explain the risks and your options.