Hospital and emergency department overcrowding, regionalization, diversion,
bypass, staffing shortages, and funding cuts: these problems are as severe in
BC as they are elsewhere in the country, and they are shaping the future of
emergency medical services (EMS) (Wanger, 2000). As we take a look at todays
health care system, we discover that the system is not functioning
efficiently. One of the systems that have been under critical review is the
service received in the Emergency Departments (ED).