People with less urgent health care needs may face long waits in emergency departments, which can contribute to congestion. However, Fraser Health Virtual Care is showing promise in alleviating this issue.
Photo: The Fraser Health Virtual Care team.
Fraser Health emergency departments (EDs) provide critical, life-saving care 24/7, but many patients with minor health concerns are turning to EDs for care even though their needs may be better served by other care options. These low-acuity visits often result in long waits and can contribute to congestion.
One possible option for these patients is Fraser Health Virtual Care.
Fraser Health Virtual Care is a contact centre where individuals can connect with a registered nurse or dietitian to assess their concerns and access the most appropriate health information or resource.
This could include advice on self-management, booking an appointment with an urgent primary care centre, connecting with a primary care provider, accessing a community resource or, when necessary, being directed to the ED.
In a recent review of data, program leads from Fraser Health Virtual Care and Centre for Advanced Analytics, Data Science and Innovation (CAADSI) looked at the journey of more than 165,000 patients and noticed a relationship between the use of Fraser Health Virtual Care and the rate of low-acuity presentations (rated as CTAS 4 and 5) in EDs.
“Based on our analysis we found that patients who used our Fraser Health Virtual Care service within 72 hours before going to the emergency department were less likely to have minor or less serious health issues compared to those who did not use the service,” says Min Naruki-van Velzen, clinical operations director, Virtual Health. “Essentially, the use of Fraser Health Virtual Care seems to help in reducing the number of patients with less urgent health problems showing up in the emergency department.”
Min points out that correlation does not necessarily mean causation and that other factors could influence the difference in low-acuity presentation rates. However, after adjusting for age and location demographics, he says the CAADSI team found a 30 per cent relative reduction in low-acuity presentations among those who connected with Fraser Health Virtual Care prior to attending the ED compared to those who did not.
These are promising findings that show the positive impacts of providing virtual health options. This is also a great example of how data can provide valuable insights to see what is working and how we can improve health care delivery.
Overall, Fraser Health Virtual Care appears to be an effective tool in reducing low-acuity visits to EDs and we all have an opportunity to increase awareness and usage of this service.
For more information about Fraser Health Virtual Care, visit fraserhealth.ca/VirtualCare.
