Emergency room wait times now online for all Edmonton-area hospitals

An emergency room in Edmonton can be seen in this undated file photo. (File)

People in the Edmonton health zone can now find real-time estimates of emergency room wait times online.

Alberta Health Services says the addition of the Devon General Hospital and East Edmonton Health Centre to its website on Wednesday completes the list of Edmonton Zone hospitals with wait times available online.

The wait times posted are an estimate of how long it takes from an assessment by a triage nurse in the emergency department to being seen by a doctor. Times are calculated by a software system that compares the number of people in the emergency department (and how sick they are) with how many resources are available and required to treat those patients.

AHS says seriously ill patients will still be seen immediately, and those with non-urgent concerns might have to wait longer than the estimated time.

The wait times for all hospitals in the Edmonton Zone can be found on the AHS website or mobile app. AHS adds that anyone needing emergency care should call 911 or go straight to the nearest emergency department.