Ambulance paramedics unload a patient at the emergency department of St. Michael’s Hospital, in downtown Toronto, on Jan. 4, 2022.
Virtual urgent care didn't make a dent in diverting patients with less severe health problems from going to emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, according to researchers in a study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.Paramedics unload a patient at the emergency department of Toronto's St. Michael’s Hospital in January 2022.
Of all those patients in the study, nearly 13 per cent went to emergency in person within three days of a virtual visit, and almost 22 per cent did so within a month of being seen via video call or by phone. Justin Hall is one of the study's authors. He's also the deputy chief of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre's emergency department in Toronto, and leads its virtual version, which he says is helpful for those with minor injuries.
The virtual care service is offered seven days a week from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., and is led by nurse practitioners and supported by emergency physicians.140,000 Nova Scotians are waiting for a family doctor. Can virtual care help? "In a system of strained resources, we can't afford to provide redundant care to a population that already has good access to care," Varner told CBC News in an interview, adding that pulling emergency department providers away from the bedside needs to be avoided.
Andrea Neilsen, 50, of Edmonton, used a virtual care service when she lived in B.C.'s Fraser Valley for two years. She had previously had surgery for inflammatory bowel disease and needed medication renewed.
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