Hospitals encouraged by virtual ER projects

Six-month trials showing early promise in Toronto

TORONTO — Three Toronto hospitals say they’ve had early success with their virtual emergency departments and hope that the service introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic is here to stay.

Two hospitals — Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and St. Michael’s Hospital — launched their six-month pilot projects last month, while Humber River Hospital launched its virtual ER last week.

Dr. Justin Hall, an emergency physician at Sunny brook Health Sciences Centre and head of the virtual emergency department, said they have seen about 250 patients since Dec. 1.

“It’s going really well,” Hall said.

“We have seen a wide variety of complaints or concerns that patients come in with, anywhere from simple skin infec- tions or urinary infections to minor sprains and strains, after a fall for example, to medication questions, counselling and mental-health concerns and all across the age spectrum.”

Many patients have not had to come into the physical hospital, he said, while others have been directed to specialists after the initial call, helping speed up inperson visits and save time for patients.

Hall said patients’ fears of contracting the virus in hospital was one of the reasons for launching the virtual cared epart men ts, Hall said.

“What we were seeing during wave one is a lot of patients were not coming to the emergency department or de laying their care even if they needed timely care,” he said.

Humber River Hospital has 20 30-minute spots available between 5 and 10 p.m. with plans to operate seven days a week, said Jane Casey, director of the emergency department. So far they’re getting 20 people per day, she said.