The root cause of Korea's emergency room "runaround" phenomenon — where patients waste critical time in ambulances searching for available ERs — lies in the communication breakdown between emergency medicine physicians and specialty departments, a leading stroke expert said.
Lee Kyung-bok, vice chairman of the Korean Stroke Society and professor of neurology at Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, made the remarks at a forum on "Innovation in Acute Stroke Treatment Environment and Securing Golden Time" hosted by lawmaker So Byung-hoon at the National Assembly on Wednesday.
"To break this vicious cycle, we need a system that ensures specialists from backup departments — those responsible for final treatment of severe emergency patients — can be stationed in emergency rooms," Lee said.
The ER runaround problem emerged as the healthcare sector's most urgent issue after a nurse in her 30s at Asan Medical Center in Seoul died in July 2022 from a brain hemorrhage that occurred within the hospital, unable to receive surgery in time. Despite multiple government emergency care measures over the past four years, similar cases continue to occur, prompting calls for more fundamental and stronger solutions.
For cerebral infarction caused by sudden blockage of brain vessels, approximately 2 million nerve cells are damaged every minute, making rapid response essential from the pre-hospital stage through the ER to treatment.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the National Fire Agency launched a pilot program last month in Gwangju, North Jeolla Province, and South Jeolla Province to reform the emergency patient transport system. Under the program, regional emergency medical situation rooms determine which hospitals receive severe patients, while 119 paramedics handle transport of less critical cases.
"It's too early to evaluate the results of the pilot program in Gwangju, South Jeolla, and North Jeolla as it's still in its early stages," Lee said. "But it cannot be a fundamental solution."
