As the flu season appears to be about to hit its stride in Montreal, doctors and nurses are reminding people that a hospital emergency room should not be the first stop for most patients.
Dr. Gregory Clark, the associate chief of emergency at the MUHC's Glen hospital, is reminding patients that ER doctors don't treat people on a first-come-first-serve basis — and that a runny nose or other common flu symptoms don't justify a trip to the ER.
"We also have young, healthy people who come to see us with their flu symptoms that really there's nothing that we're going to do for them. They're simply going to be sick for a week for a week and then go back to their regular life," he said.
To make matters worse, those coming into the ER with flu symptoms run the risk infecting others — including those who may be most vulnerable to the flu.
"Cancer patients, COPD patients, people with chronic lung disease, heart disease. All of these people are vulnerable. When they catch the flu they can die from it, which is obviously not what we want," said Dr. Clark.
Doctors expect the flu season to peak by the end of February, and the MUHC is advising people to get their flu shots before then.
Quebec's health ministry, meanwhile, has created an online tool to help people determine whether they need to make the trip to the ER with the flu symptoms. It also recommends when people should call their family doctors or visit their local clinics instead.