Every morning I review my patients who were in Emerg or hospital in #ldnont the day before.

Today, I paused at a face sheet to a visit. Written in the diagnosis field (which should contain a diagnosis, not a judgement), it said:

“Here most days”

1/

I paused & reflected

“Here most days”. The tone behind those 3 words was palpable

This person faces many of the challenges common to my patients

Sleeping rough on a cold Dec night

Uses drugs to stay awake, warm, safe. MH exacerbated by the survival choice to use drugs

2/

“Here most days”

#LdnOnt , where, exactly should this person “go most days”?

They are cold, sick, scared, overwhelmed.

Maybe they visit Emerg to make at least some of those things bearable. Maybe they feel safer when they go there “most days”.

3/

“Here most days”

We don’t have a moral leg to stand on criticizing this persons emergency service use, until this person no longer faces life-threatening health emergencies “most days”

4/

When this person sleeps inside, has enough to eat, feels safe from violence, has appropriate medical care...... then they won’t need to seek safety in the hospital “most days”

Judge the system #LdnOnt , not the person trying to survive with the system “most days”

5/