Do you have to go to the emergency room? If it’s a Monday, get ready to wait more than any other day of the week. Indeed, every Monday, hospital emergency services are experiencing a peak in activity. This well -known phenomenon of caregivers is not specific to France: it affects many countries. According to the emergency doctor Gérald Kierzek, several factors explain this crowd. That is to know.
The delay in care during the weekend
During the weekend, many that hesitate to go to the emergency room for symptoms deemed “minor”: fever, persistent pain, small injuries … The closure of city medical offices, combined with the fear of long expectations in the emergency room, pushes patients to wait. Result: health problems worsen and become “urgent” on Monday morning, triggering a massive influx of consultations. Bad calculation!
Stress of the resumption of work
Monday also marks the return to professional pace. “”This brutal transition can worsen certain chronic pathologies such as hypertension, joint pain or migraines “. In addition, work accidents are more frequent that day, especially due to a lack of vigilance after two days of rest, warns our emergency room.
More heart attacks on Monday morning
Another documented fact: myocardial infarction are more frequent on Monday morning. The fault, in large part, to the stress of the alarm clock, to the increase in blood pressure to the rising, and the rise in the adrenaline rate associated with the resumption of work. The heart, already weakened in some, does not bear this “restart”, hence an increase in admissions in cardiology and resuscitation from the start of the week.
Closing medical offices
Let’s be honest, the absence of general practitioners on weekends creates a traffic jam effect on Monday morning. “”Without being able to obtain a quick appointment, some patients turn to emergencies, sometimes for non-vital reasons ” Confirms Dr. Kierzek .. This phenomenon still accentuates the pressure on services already very asked.
Risk behavior of the weekend
The weekend is also synonymous with relaxation: excessive consumption of alcohol, intense sports practices, DIY, gardening … These activities, often sources of injury or complications, do not always give rise to immediate care. “Side effects or pain sometimes appear on Monday, encouraging patients to consult late” we learn the doctor.
The vulnerability of the elderly
Finally, in retirement homes or families, medical decisions for the elderly are often deferred on Monday. Establishments like EHPAD operate with staff reduced on weekends, which delays the management of decompensations (urinary tract infections, respiratory disorders, etc.) until the beginning of the week.
As a result, all these beautiful people ends in the emergency room on Monday morning, leading to saturation of services.
How to avoid Monday saturation?
Dr. Gérald Kierzek insists on several levers, to keep the mind, to unclog emergencies (and to spare long hours of comfortable waiting):
- Consult a doctor on duty Saturday or Sunday to avoid worsening symptoms;
- Anticipate the prescriptions (renewal of chronic treatments before the weekend);
- Go to a medical care houseoften accessible without appointment;
- But also better organize human and material resources In emergency services to deal with this early overload … without forgetting to strengthen the reception every other days of the week!
The “Monday peak” is therefore not inevitable: it reflects an organization of the perfectible health system, but also behaviors that it is possible to develop. A collective awareness – professionals and patients – would make it possible to relieve emergencies permanently.