Christopher Wangsness, M.D.

The service I was provided at the Brookings ER was good, when it was there. It took over three hours, from the time I walked in the door, before I started properly receiving treatment for my injury. For reference, I was injured at ˜ noon, got to the ER in <30min, waited three hours in a room with minimal care(vitals and one pain injection), and then left the ER after the stitches at ˜4:30pm. That is a very long time to wait for stitches, while I continue to actively Bleed into my temporary bandages. I assume this was due to poor staffing and/or high activity. I respect and am willing to understand the situation, but that does not alter the fact my ER visit was made the least pleasant possible with that blind wait time.Doctor, "Waiting to hear back from the hand specialist." I spoke to said same hand specialist Thursday, she told me, "yeah, it did Not take me three hours to respond." I had the worst injury of my previous ER visits and my treatment/wait time was The Worst I have ever had to deal with. I was never told they were busy or short staffed, I did overhear the nurse say something along those lines to the doctor quietly, but she was explicitly not informing me. I appreciate and am grateful for the quality care the one nurse and doctor provided, but I cannot excuse the wait time I experienced.

So I've always felt valued anytime I went to the Brookings Emergency Department. They get you in quick. They take good care of you. They let you know what's going on. So very good communication. They really, really treat you like you're part of their family. They're not just the judges, just the patients. So really, really, really enjoyed it. Appreciate it. Thanks.

Yes, thank you. When I stopped there for help, I didn't know whether I was ill or not, but I didn't, I just had a bad feeling. They were so kind, took me in, did the test and found that I was indeed quite sick and issued a prescription and sent me on my way and told me to be sure to come back if there was anything wrong. I was really appreciative. and I'm glad that something like that is available.

Friendly. caring people. Keep up the good work friends.

Our staff was very courteous. The check-in lady was very nice and courteous. The nurse was very courteous, and the doctor was very courteous. Very pleasant visit, considering I was there with a dog bite. Yes, it was kind of a pleasant visit. Would have been better if I would have been there with a dog bite, but yes, it was good.

My husband was there for a stroke. We were just up there for a soccer game, and they treated him very well. They sent him on to Sioux Falls, and everyone was very nice, very professional, and I was very impressed with the emergency department, and everyone was just very supportive. And he's doing real well. He stayed a few days in Sioux Falls and he's doing good. He did lose his hearing from the stroke, but hopefully it comes back. But I do appreciate everything that Brookings did for us. Thank you very much.

The doctor that assisted me, Dr. Christoph or whatever his name is, was very patient and very understanding and made me feel very comfortable coming in and I couldn't be any happier with having a doctor like that, you know, take care of what I had going on and I really appreciate it from the bottom of my heart.

I came in with a serious emergency heart problem and the staff was amazing, caring, friendly, involved, etc. I felt like I was the only patient there. amazing job.

The ER nurses were great. Dr. Wong was terrible. I came in with a gastro issue and it was obvious that he didn't want to deal with it. Even though I was on the phone with my gastro doctor in Sioux Falls, he was unwilling to speak to her, so I asked to be discharged.

The communication was poor between the doctor and the nurse. I had to tell the nurse what the doctor had told me. She had to go back and check before, or she was going to administer a different treatment plan.

The doctor didn't address my cancer on my right side of my body. He didn't even... I got no painkillers to bring home with me. He told me that, like I said before, he did not address my cancer on the right side of my body and he did not appreciate the fact that I was in pain. Okay? Thank you.

I brought my wife into the facility with chest pains they took very good care of her I'm very happy with the way they handled things thank you so much I'm the one filling out the survey because she is Filipino and it is easier for me to fill this out

I am so thankful for your services. You provided thorough testing to verify a new issue in my health care!

I was just really frustrated because we were in and out in less than 30 minutes and normally that would be okay, but I felt like I wasn't heard or listened to when I asked about things with my child on his eye condition. And that's pretty much it. Thanks.

Everyone was so nice! I was in such terrible pain and they moved me along so fast to get some relief. My husband and I were so impressed with how quick the visit was, as well as, how informative the providers were to us. I hope to never have to go back in, but if I do I will definitely choose driving to Brookings for care.

The care given was very good. The empathy was wonderful. You've got great people working there. Great credit to the Brookings community and their hospital. Thank you.

From the time I arrived with the receptionist to going back with the nurses, they did everything to make me feel comfortable and at ease and I have anxiety so I told them that and they just made things that much better. I wasn't thrilled with the doctor. I mean he seemed knowledgeable but he didn't have much of a bedside manner. The nurses were all great and should be commended for how good of a job they do.

I think you guys did a fine job coming here and getting me all squared away while I was stroked up. I do think my fiancee was a little bothered that I almost got dropped, but that wasn't your fault.

Very caring and understanding nurses and doctor.

I was not impressed with the doctor. I basically diagnosed myself. I ended up having to go to the ER in Sioux Falls the next day just to make sure that I was confirmed with Bell's palsy, and he told me I had conjunctivitis and to follow up with an optometrist. No treatment received for Bell's palsy. I told my concerns and the issues, and I felt ignored.

I visited the Emergency Room experiencing symptoms that indicated I could possibly be experiencing a cardiac event. My chest was heavy, my heart felt like it was fluttering, my arms hurt and I was terrified. My father had a heart attack at 43, I'm 42. My blood pressure was abnormally high for me, and significantly higher blood pressure readings than I had two days prior. The receptionist was so kind and helpful. The nurse, Heather, was patient and explained things and answered my questions. The doctor I saw visited my room twice in the several hours I was there. I could point to where the pain was and the doctor never touched me, once. I left with continued high blood pressure and zero confidence that I was ok. I was instructed to check my blood pressure at home, try tylenol, try a chiropractor for chest pains or come back. The tests/labs I had indicated I was not experiencing a heart attack and that was the only reassurance I had when I left. I feel like my symptoms were dismissed and chalked up to anxiety. I don't visit the ER frequently and would not have without very good reason. While I'm grateful I wasn't having a heart attack or a significant life altering event, I could have saved myself a missed day of work and whatever bill is headed my way by just going home. The last time I was in the ER, I had my gallbladder removed and the doctor that day set the bar high so I felt comfortable returning in my time of distress. The nurse who helped me was great but the doctor was not. My reason for visiting was clearly not a big deal to him, but to me it was.

The Dr. was just going to super glue my husbands thumb/nail bed. It was my husband who said "shouldn't the nail bed be put back under the skin before you do that?!" That is when the Dr. said "o well maybe I should take photos and send them to SF." SF wanted my husband to come down immediately after receiving the photos. My husband had surgery yet that afternoon to remove the nail bed and have it fixed properly. If my husband hadn't said anything Brookings were just going to stitch him up because the super glue would not have stuck! We are so glad my husband spoke up!!!! So in general the Dr. really didn't know what he was dealing with (at least that is how it seemed). Next time if the Drs. don't know, they need to send pics right away to SF (we had to wait another 45-60 mins just to get the response back from SF after already being there over an hour.) This is not the first time we have had a bad experience with the ER Drs. My son was the first. He cut his leg on a rusty cotter key on a hitch to a wagon (we farm.) They barely cleaned it and just stapled the gash WITHOUT numbing it and he was 5-6 years old! His scar now looks horrible as it didn't hold together just being stapled. He also has PTSD now if he enters the ER area. He nearly threw up and passed out during a field trip in the 1st grade! He is now an 8th grader. So sorry, I do not hold much faith in the Brookings ER Drs, the nurses on the other hand have been absolutely amazing and possibly more knowledgeable then the Drs.

Communication with the doctor that referred me to the emergency room was nil. I received a phone call on Sunday saying that my tests were positive by a separate doctor, and again on Wednesday from a different doctor who did not know that I had already received these results, and the CDC was involved, so it was somewhat confusing.

I was really scared that day because my blood pressure I thought was high because it's normally high and the nurses and all of the other people that attended to me were very assuring and telling me that my blood pressure was just fine and it helped me to calm down and I appreciated everything they did. They were very, their bedside manner was a 10.

Staff was professional and friendly

your nursing staff is outstanding. the physician on hand did not communicate effectively. He sent my husband home after about 30 seconds in the room with us. Of course, we were back within 90 minutes. the second time, he cauterized the bleed, but was ready to run out when I stopped him and asked for more info. Finally, he explained what to expect. Thank God for your outstanding nurses, or I would have been on the road to Sioux Falls.