Only those needing urgent care can expect see an emergency doctor at night
Helsinki region to assess need for care of emergency patients
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From this month on, municipal health centres in the Helsinki region will start assessing the urgency of patients who arrive for emergency care.
Only those requiring urgent care will be sent to a doctor, while patients with less pressing needs will dealt with by a nurse or be asked to come back during the day.
The aim is to make sure that those with serious illnesses can be attended to in a reasonable time.
The assessment will be made by a nurse, who will also be authorised to give certificates of illness for employees.
The uniform practice allows residents of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa, Kauniainen, Kerava, and Kirkkonummi more leeway in choosing a municipal health centre in any of the communities.
"Those who need urgent care, and those with sudden illnesses can get treatment quickly, and others do not have to stand in line for hours", says Jarmo Kantonen, head physician at the Peijas hospital in Vantaa.
A patient without an urgent complaint can eventually get to see a doctor, but those with more urgent needs are given priority.
Peijas hospital has had a system of urgency evaluation in place for three years. It is estimated that between 30 and 50 per cent of patients showing up for emergency care could be cared for in a more appropriate manner somewhere other than the crowded emergency room.
Kantonen says that typical conditions requiring less urgent treatment are 'flu, stomach disorders, and long-term chronic conditions, if no changes have occurred.
Children and adults are assessed under the same criteria. However, a doctor will treat a child first, if the child and an adult are in the same category of urgency.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 6.3.2007 - TODAY |
 Only those needing urgent care can expect see an emergency doctor at night |
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