Nova Scotia Health relaunches emergency department wait times tool

Nova Scotia Health relaunched its predicted emergency department wait times tool today both on the YourHealthNS app and nshealth.ca. 

The information tool predicts a wait time range for 14 emergency departments around Nova Scotia. The tool was temporarily taken offline as Nova Scotia Health transitioned to a new clinical information system, in order to review and validate data and refresh the look and user experience of the tool. 

The mobile-friendly tool allows users to sort emergency departments by distance, facility, community or wait time and view predicted waits up to 12 hours into the future. 

Predicted wait times represent the approximate current average time (in hours) between registration and seeing a doctor or nurse. The predicted waiting time range to see a doctor or nurse in an emergency department is an estimate and is for informational purposes only. 

If you need help immediately, CALL 911 or go to your nearest emergency department no matter the estimated wait time. The estimated wait times are based on those patients at the lower end (less urgent) of the triage scale. 

YourHealthNS can also help Nova Scotians find and access healthcare services to meet their non-emergency care needs, by accessing the Services section, asking the Nova virtual assistant, or using the search function.