New Brunswick’s health minister is considering implementing a pilot project similar to one in Northern Ontario, where eligible non-urgent emergency room patients could wait at home and receive text notifications when it was their turn to come in. Dr. John Dornan views this virtual home waiting room, tested at Sault Area Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, as a potential solution to reduce long wait times and enhance patient experience.
Dr. Dornan expressed interest in exploring a similar initiative in New Brunswick to address overcrowding issues caused by patients occupying hospital beds while waiting for long-term care placements. Both Horizon and Vitalité health networks successfully managed the holiday resource crunch without significant problems, partly due to non-urgent patients seeking alternate care options.
Amid a surge in flu cases and ongoing overcapacity challenges, health officials urge non-urgent patients to utilize services like Tele-Care 811, after-hours clinics, and virtual care. The Ontario pilot project, initiated in August, involved non-urgent patients waiting at a location of their choice instead of the hospital, receiving text updates on their queue status and optimal ER visit times.
During the pilot, wait times decreased by over 25%, with most low-acuity patients experiencing reduced initial assessment and discharge times. Positive feedback from users and staff led to the expansion of the program to accommodate more patients daily. Dr. Stephen Smith, the hospital’s vice-president of medical affairs, envisions integrating primary care providers into the virtual waiting system.
Dr. Dornan lauds the success of the Sault pilot, emphasizing the importance of addressing wait times for Level 3 patients in New Brunswick’s ERs. With a substantial number of patients facing prolonged waits, efforts are underway to improve access to primary care and expedite care delivery for those in need.