'Virtual' doctors reducing ER wait times at Western Hospital
Technology allows qualified patients to consult with doctor online
Patients visiting the emergency room at Western Hospital in Alberton, P.E.I., are now able to be seen by a doctor virtually.
Non-critical patients will now be able to connect with doctors, on the Island and across Canada, through video chats.
With the help of a nurse, doctors can examine patients, write prescriptions and order medical tests such as X-rays remotely.
The technology was introduced as a pilot project for admitted patients in 2018. It was developed by Maple, a Canadian virtual-care provider, and is being offered in partnership with Health PEI.
Dr. Brett Belchetz, an ER doctor and co-founder of Maple, said the technology has already cut down on ER wait times, and allows doctors at the hospital to respond to more critical patients quicker.
Plans to expand
"Once it was decided that they were appropriate for a virtual visit, instead of them having to wait six-to-eight hours to see an in-person physician who would be overburdened treating other serious cases, there would be an opportunity for those patients to be deferred into a special booth to see a remote doctor by video who can see them right away," he said.
Belchetz said there are plans to extend the program to the emergency department at Kings County Memorial Hospital in Montague in the future. The ERs at Kings County and Western hospitals have closed at times due to a lack of doctors, and Belchetz expects the new technology will help keep the ER open.
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With files from Brittany Spencer