Desenzano ER Handles 3,000 Cases During Ferragosto Crisis

Passionate week at the Emergency Room of Desenzano, the most important emergency medical facility on Lake Garda. During the “hot” week of Ferragosto, there was a true siege of tourists, also aided by the controversial absence of the local Tourist Guardia. Over 1,200 people presented themselves to the on-duty medical staff with a total of 3,000 services provided (medications, bandages, casts); all in just seven days, from August 13 to 19. Of the 1,216 users, 165 were subsequently hospitalized and 943 referred to their general practitioners. Meanwhile, 28 people refused hospitalization. The Emergency Room managed to handle this “once again, though predictable, summer emergency —” as said by the chief doctor Dr. Walter Iacovelli — “thanks also to the fact that the staff on duty was able to rely on an additional medical and nursing unit, due to a staff member forgoing their scheduled rest shift.”

Flow management and criticisms directed at the service

Nevertheless, despite these reassuring figures, criticisms and reports of alleged malfunctions have also been made regarding the “Monte Croce” Emergency Room. A couple of clarifications on this matter seem necessary. Access to the service is not conditioned by arrival order, but by the severity of the specific case. The medical staff assigns each patient a color code based on the severity: red (life-threatening, immediate entry), yellow (serious cases with the shortest wait), green (postponable treatment), and white (no urgency).

The hospital’s medical director, Prof. Alfonso Castellani, further clarifies some concepts. “In the Emergency Room, unlike any other department, the activity exclusively involves emergency and urgent cases, so there can be no waiting times as in a clinic where all activities are scheduled by appointment, nor does the rule that first come, first served apply. This —” Castellani explains — “happens at our laboratory blood draw points, where users take a number, like in crowded shops. In Emergency Rooms, the only rule is: the most urgent cases are treated first. And, furthermore, moments of calm can alternate with hectic activity. Under these circumstances —” the medical director continues — “those with a green or white code might wait a long time: citizens should understand that, in everyone’s best interest, access to the Emergency Room should only be for genuine emergencies.”

“I would like to emphasize that, consequently, the waiting time chart for each color code exhibits peaks and curves. For example, if the average waiting time for a certain code was 20 minutes, it means many citizens waited less, while others, arriving during busy periods, waited longer. Additionally —” Castellani concludes — “if the Desenzano Emergency Room is always crowded, it also means — without presumption — that citizens continue to place their trust in that facility, and the staff, at all levels, deserve praise.”