People visiting emergency rooms in Greater Victoria this year had to stay slightly longer than they did the year before, according to Island Health.
The average amount of time that each non-admitted patient stayed in the ER at Victoria General Hospital between Jan. 1 and Dec. 1 was 4.3 hours, up from 3.7 hours during the same period the year before.
At the Royal Jubilee Hospital, the average length of stay was 3.7 hours, up from the average of 3.4 hours in 2021.
Meanwhile, farther north on the island, the average length of stay for patients at the ER at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital was 2.9 hours this year, slightly higher than the average of 2.6 hours last year.
At North Island Hospital in Campbell River, the average length of stay was 2.5 hours, a total that's unchanged from 2021.
According to Island Health, overall patient volumes at each of the emergency departments was about five per cent higher in 2022 than it was the year before.
However, patient volume does not usually play a large role in overall length of stay, the health authority says.
"How sick patients are and the complexity of care required at a given time are the most influential factors," according to Island Health.
The health authority adds that all patients at emergency departments are triaged and assessed when they arrive, and people with more urgent conditions are prioritized for care.
The total number of ER visits in 2021 and 2022 can be found below:
Total ER visits from Jan. 1, 2021 to Dec. 1, 2021:
VGH: 58,420
RJH: 55,860
NRGH: 60,690
NIH-CR: 25,040
Total ER visits from Jan. 1, 2022 to Dec. 1, 2022:
VGH: 61,110
RJH: 58,180
NRGH: 63,360
NIH-CR: 28,200
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