What is New Brunswick's Health Minister looking at to solve ER wait times?

Minister John Dornan is considering a virtual home waiting room system, similar to an Ontario pilot project, to reduce ER wait times for non-urgent patients.

How did the Sault Area Hospital pilot project improve ER wait times?

The virtual waiting room pilot at Sault Area Hospital reduced wait times by over 25% for low-acuity patients, improving patient flow and satisfaction.

What causes overcrowding in New Brunswick's hospitals?

Overcrowding is significantly driven by Alternate Level of Care (ALC) patients occupying hospital beds while awaiting long-term care placements.

Home / Health / NB Eyes Virtual ER Waiting Rooms

NB Eyes Virtual ER Waiting Rooms

14 Jan

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Summary

New Brunswick health minister impressed by Ontario's virtual ER waiting room pilot.
Ontario pilot saw ER wait times drop by over 25% for low-acuity patients.
New Brunswick faces significant ER overcrowding, especially for Level 3 patients.

New Brunswick's Health Minister, Dr. John Dornan, is considering implementing a virtual home waiting room system for emergency room patients, mirroring a successful pilot project in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. This initiative aims to alleviate "unacceptable" wait times by allowing eligible non-urgent patients to await their turn comfortably at home, receiving text notifications when to proceed to the ER. The Ontario pilot demonstrated substantial improvements, with overall wait times decreasing by over 25% and the average assessment time for low-acuity patients falling from 5.8 to 2.7 hours.

This potential adoption comes as New Brunswick faces ongoing ER overcrowding, exacerbated by patients awaiting long-term care placements. Health networks Horizon and Vitalité reported navigating recent holiday pressures with careful patient management and encouraged non-urgent cases to utilize alternatives like Tele-Care 811 and virtual clinics. Despite these efforts, only about one-third of New Brunswick ER patients are seen within appropriate timeframes, with Level 3 patients experiencing significant delays, a situation Dornan views with serious concern.