# I am a big fan of the Saskatchewan Health Line! Triage by phone spares trip to the ER! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 28, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355 "2012-05-28T17:01:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/1 "2012-05-28T17:01:01Z")
Here in Saskatchewan, we have a centralised Health Line open to anyone with a phone and a Sask Health card to call for quick advice. The Piper Cub woke up vomiting yesterday. We called the Health Line and spoke with a nurse. She asked a variety of questions and eventually advised that it wasn’t the sort of thing that needed immediate medical attention, but gave us warning signs to watch for: if this thing, go to the ER, if that thing, a walk-in medical clinic; some advice about what we should give him to drink/eat, what to avoid, etc. Overall, 15 minutes on the phone sure beats a trip to the ER. Triage by telephone, helpful tips, general reassurance. Just another example of the innate inefficiencies of socialised medicine. 😉 And he’s all better today - we’re watching Winnie the Pooh and the Backsun. ---
**Author:** ![Anonymous\_Coward](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/94ad74/32.png) [@Anonymous\_Coward](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anonymous_Coward)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/2 "2012-05-28T17:03:59Z")
They have (had?) this in Ontario. I wish they had it in PEI. I know there’s times I’d use it. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/3 "2012-05-28T18:11:49Z")
I called the Ontario one sometime in '98 when I put a rusty nail through my hand doing house renos. They reassured me that the tetanus shot I got in '93 would still be good, and saved me a trip to Emerg. on a Friday night. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Onimous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ea5d25/32.png) [@Ann\_Onimous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Onimous)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/4 "2012-05-28T18:51:53Z")
Some health plans here in the States have that as a benefit, but sadly, nothing like what you all have. I called Ask A Nurse once because of problems with my birth control, and was hung up on. Then I remembered it was run by a Catholic hospital. (d’oh!) And I’m glad the Piper Cub is feeling better. Nothing stresses me out more than a sick child. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/5 "2012-05-28T18:54:26Z")
Yeah, here in the US, it’s nothing like in Canada, apparently. Every time I’ve ever called one here, they say they can’t even give medical advice or suggest that you do or do not go to the hospital or doctor, due to liability reasons. I think the purpose of it is more for good PR than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/6 "2012-05-28T18:59:41Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > I called Ask A Nurse once because of problems with my birth control, and was hung up on. Then I remembered it was run by a Catholic hospital. (d’oh!) I’ll take “Things that make sense in retrospect”, Alex. 😉 > [@](#): > > And I’m glad the Piper Cub is feeling better. Nothing stresses me out more than a sick child. Thanks! He just came dancing into the kitchen, singing “Can’t stop, can’t stop the cops!” from a Backyardigans episode, and asked me to make some popcorn, so yes, he definitely seems on the mend. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/7 "2012-05-28T19:03:05Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Yeah, here in the US, it’s nothing like in Canada, apparently. Every time I’ve ever called one here, they say they can’t even give medical advice or suggest that you do or do not go to the hospital or doctor, due to liability reasons. I think the purpose of it is more for good PR than anything else. It’s run by the health regions here, so they’re the same entities that run the hospitals, which I presume means the same liability risk from the hospital ERs themselves, shared across the board. That darned socialism thing again.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/8 "2012-05-28T19:08:28Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#): > > I called the Ontario one sometime in '98 when I put a rusty nail through my hand doing house renos. They reassured me that the tetanus shot I got in '93 would still be good, and saved me a trip to Emerg. on a Friday night. Ouch! I hate nail guns. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/9 "2012-05-28T19:36:03Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > Yeah, here in the US, it’s nothing like in Canada, apparently. Every time I’ve ever called one here, they say they can’t even give medical advice or suggest that you do or do not go to the hospital or doctor, due to liability reasons. I think the purpose of it is more for good PR than anything else. Same here. I used to have a health plan that included a phone line, and every time I called them they said “go to the ER.” ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/10 "2012-05-28T19:51:32Z")
We have NHS Direct here and I’ve used it myself. ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/11 "2012-05-28T20:12:09Z")
The Quebec version of that service, Info-Sante, has been a godsend for my family while they deal with Grandmaman’s congestive heart failure. Is this blood pressure dip reason for a trip to the ER or can she wait to see her doctor in two days? She’s coughing a lot, but no fever - do we worry? they generally err on the side of caution, but they know what questions to ask and do a wonderful job assessing the urgency of the situation. Just dial 811, anytime, and you’ll get help. ---
**Author:** ![Critical\_Mass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@Critical\_Mass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Critical_Mass)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2012, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/12 "2012-05-28T20:32:37Z")
Manitoba has an effective “Health Links” program to dispense similar advice. It will also refer a caller to other related social services. There are numerous communities in remote parts of the province without immediate access to physician care - typically a well trained nurse at a nursing station is the only health professional in the community. Manitoba has effectively developed a system called TeleHealth to video link a nursing station to a physician for real-time consultation and diagnosis. One more development in recent years is a centralized telephone referral for residents looking for a new primary care physician. When a GP’s office indicates they are willing to accept new patients, they are referred to individuals looking for a family doctor in their neighborhood or their part of the province. The health care system still has flaws and inefficiencies. However, there are few complaints from health care consumers in this province. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/13 "2012-05-29T07:17:15Z")
I wish we had that too. People call me in the ER and I can’t tell them anything. Where I used to work the ward clerks would just screen all those calls with ‘we don’t give med advice’. Where I’m at now I can at least listen long enough on the off chance they’ll tell me something that’ll prompt me to say ‘hang up a diall 911, right now.’ Which hasn’t happened yet, and I’m not even sure my hospital would condone it, but I do it anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/14 "2012-05-29T08:23:08Z")
> [@Ann\_Onimous](#): > > Some health plans here in the States have that as a benefit, but sadly, nothing like what you all have. I called Ask A Nurse once because of problems with my birth control, and was hung up on. Then I remembered it was run by a Catholic hospital. (d’oh!) > > And I’m glad the Piper Cub is feeling better. Nothing stresses me out more than a sick child. > [@Antigen](#): > > The Quebec version of that service, Info-Sante, has been a godsend for my family while they deal with Grandmaman’s congestive heart failure. Is this blood pressure dip reason for a trip to the ER or can she wait to see her doctor in two days? She’s coughing a lot, but no fever - do we worry? they generally err on the side of caution, but they know what questions to ask and do a wonderful job assessing the urgency of the situation. Just dial 811, anytime, and you’ll get help. I’ve had health plans that have an “Ask a nurse” number, and they can be very reassuring, especially for new parents. I wish that more insurance companies would realize that paying a nurse or PA to answer the phone is a lot cheaper than paying for ER visits that aren’t strictly necessary. ---
**Author:** ![EmAnJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@EmAnJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmAnJ)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/15 "2012-05-29T13:21:23Z")
We have this in Alberta too and I’ve used it a few times. The last time she did actually advise I call the ambulance (for my husband), but usually I’m just overreacting! ---
**Author:** ![lavenderviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cdc98d/32.png) [@lavenderviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lavenderviolet)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/16 "2012-05-29T14:06:39Z")
I think the reason this isn’t done more in the US is because the legal climate in Canada apparently discourages frivolous lawsuits and puts limits on “pain and suffering” awards to a much greater degree than the US does: > [@](#): > > In 2007, Canadian doctors were hit with 928 legal actions, a 17 percent drop from 2003. Only about 100 cases a year go to trial. > > One reason: Canadian law firms, unlike U.S. firms, often require plaintiffs to pay for an initial investigation to determine whether the claim has merit. That cost discourages many people from pursuing a lawsuit. > > Another deterrent, plaintiffs’ attorneys say, is that the Canadian Medical Protective Association is aggressive in defending its members because it is in the unique position of insuring virtually all of the country’s 76,000 or so doctors. > > "It’s different from the U.S., where you have a great number of private insurers, each with a different corporate mentality to litigation,‘’ says Richard Halpern, a Toronto attorney. > > "Here, we don’t see nuisance payments to settle cases, we see where the CMPA is prepared to throw all the money at it to defend it no matter what it’s worth. Litigation in Canada is therefore very, very expensive, and there are very few plaintiff’s lawyers with the wherewithal to carry through with these cases.‘’ > > The association’s legal fees have risen, but its track record is strong: Of the cases tried in 2007, judgments went in the patient’s favor 25 times and the doctor’s 70 times. The median amount of damages was about $91,000. > > Although Canada allows jury trials, the few cases that go to court are usually tried in front of a judge. > > "Some of my cases are too complex for a jury, and it does prolong the trial and use up a lot of resources,‘’ Halpern says. "On the other hand, I do believe we don’t make enough use of juries. Juries may be more sympathetic, particularly when you do obstetric cases. There’s the sympathy factor.‘’ > > Halpern is awaiting a judge’s ruling in a case in which a baby was born with cerebral palsy because a nurse failed to realize the baby had been starved of oxygen in the womb. Halpern would be surprised if the judge awarded punitive damages. > > "We generally don’t pursue that here in Canada because most medical cases involve negligence,‘’ not intentional wrongdoing, Halpern says. "I’ve never seen a punitive damage award in a medical malpractice case.‘’ > **[News | Tampa Bay Times](https://www.tampabay.com/news/article1021977.ece)** > > News in the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area, including breaking news, public safety, crime, health, hurricanes and weather, politics, the environment and more from the staff of the Tampa Bay Times. Here in the United States, it would be reckless for someone who’s just talking to someone over the phone to tell the person to NOT be evaluated by a doctor, because if a bad outcome did occur (even if it’s not likely, it’s always possible) that’s almost surely going to be a nasty lawsuit. It would be very hard to defend in a courtroom giving medical advice without having EXAMINED the patient. Sometimes history alone is not enough to know for sure what’s going on with a patient. There are definitely cases where if you don’t actually see and touch the patient you could be missing something very serious that you wouldn’t pick up based on what the patient told you. I’ve seen plenty of cases where the patient gives a vague or misleading history but then when the doctor actually examines them something important is discovered. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/17 "2012-05-29T17:08:56Z")
And part of the reason lawsuits like those don’t happen in Canada is because you won’t go bankrupt from your medical bills, so you don’t have to play ‘pin the blame on the ass’ to get money to pay your bills. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2012, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/18 "2012-05-29T17:56:48Z")
> [@EmAnJ](#): > > We have this in Alberta too and I’ve used it a few times. Yep - we also have the Early Start Line for when babies are wee (under two months of age). Due to really unfortunate family circumstances, probably undiagnosed postpartum depression, and freakish levels of anxiety around being a mom, I phoned that line many, many times. Really, a fabulous service, because packing up a 6 week old baby for a trip to the ER because you don’t know if he’s spitting up a normal amount is something best avoided if at all possible. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Wheelz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wheelz/32/5718_2.png) [@Wheelz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheelz)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-am-a-big-fan-of-the-saskatchewan-health-line-triage-by-phone-spares-trip-to-the-er/623355/19 "2012-05-30T13:50:58Z")
There’s a hospital near here that has a number you can text and they’ll send you back the current wait time in the ER. Seems to me that this could potenially discourage people from going to the ER who probably should. “AGH! I’ve cut my hand off!!.. What? A 40-minute wait? Screw that. Guess I’ll just ice it…”