‘It was just constant pain’: Woman says after 14-hour wait in ER, doctor missed her broken arm

A Manitoba woman said she waited 14 hours in an emergency room with a broken arm that a doctor initially said wasn’t broken. CTV's Danton Unger explains.

A Manitoba woman says her confidence in the health-care system has been shaken after waiting 14 hours in an emergency room with a broken arm, only to be told she was fine and should go home.

It turns out 19-year-old Katelyn Dunn’s arm is actually broken in two spots. It happened shortly before midnight on Feb. 4.

“I tripped and I fell on my bathmat, half asleep, slamming my wrist on the shower, like straight down,” she said, adding it looked like her bone was pushing out of her wrist.

With local clinics closed and her arm swelling up, Dunn said she had no choice but to head to the emergency department at the Selkirk Regional Health Centre.

When she arrived, she was triaged and — after a few hours — received an X-ray. Then, she was left to wait for a doctor. In total, Dunn said she waited 14 hours.

“It was just constant pain,” she said.

When the doctor finally saw her, Dunn said she was told her arm was fine.

“He told me that there the X-ray looked fine, he didn’t see anything, and that I should just go home and ice it.”

So, that’s what she did. But the pain didn’t go away. In fact, it got worse. Dunn said she couldn’t even put an ice bag on her wrist because it hurt too much.

The next day she decided to go to a medical clinic in Winnipeg where she got a very different diagnosis.

Within 20 minutes, Dunn said the doctor had done another X-ray and confirmed her arm was not only broken — it had cracks in two spots.

“He said that if I just let it like that, it would have probably messed up my wrist, if I just iced it,” she said.

Now, with a bright pink cast on her arm, Dunn said the entire situation has left her frustrated and confused.

“I was just kind of mad about the hospital making me wait 14 hours to tell me it’s not broken, and they basically could have messed up my wrist severely,” she said.

In a statement to CTV News, the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA) said it can’t comment on the specifics of any individual’s care, but noted its patient relations team is aware of the matter and is following up on it.

The health authority adds in part, “In all cases, patients receive care from highly-skilled health-care professionals who make decisions based on the information available at the time, including clinical assessment and diagnostic imaging.”

The IERHA does not publicly post wait times for emergency departments. Though a notice on its website dated Dec. 29, 2024, notes the region is working to make this information available.

In its statement to CTV News, the IERHA said reporting of emergency department wait times differs by region.

“We are working within the provincial health system to review best practices and explore options for future public reporting on ED wait times,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

As for Dunn, she said her advice to others is to use clinics when possible.

“If it’s actually an emergency, I would recommend going to the hospital. But if it’s like an injury or a break, I recommend going to a clinic.”