SMALL HOSPITAL MEDICAL-SERVICES IN ONTARIO .2. EMERGENCY MEDICAL-SERVICES

A survey sent to the Chiefs of Staff of all 88 hospitals in Ontario communities with fewer than 100 total acute care beds contained a detailed section on emergency medical services. Seventy-nine hospitals reported a total of 1 239 085 emergency department visits each year, averaging 15 685 per hospital each year. Almost all of the hospitals reported emergency department staffing primarily by local GPs, but 35 reported a staffing shortage now and 57 predicted a shortage in 5 years.