Preventable deaths, ‘near-misses’ caused by overcrowding in Alberta emergency rooms, documents show

At least six preventable deaths and more than 30 “near-misses” occurred in Alberta emergency departments since the beginning of the year because of overcrowding, according to documents obtained by The Globe and Mail.

Concerns about patient safety in provincial EDs have been front and centre for weeks in the wake of the highly-publicized case of Prashant Sreekumar, who died on Dec. 22 after eight hours in Edmonton’s Grey Nuns Community Hospital ED. The documents further highlight how overcrowding has hindered patient care.