Soutien aux soins de longue durée

Emergency department (ED) overcrowding is a worsening global health system crisis. Overcrowding leads to prolonged patient wait times in ED, and increased patient mortality and morbidity. Preventable transfers from long-term care facilities are a major contributor.

Usually, LTC residents are transferred to EDs when they experience complications or medical emergencies that exceed the residences’ capacity (Ackermann et al.,1998).

More than 25% of transfers to the ED are potentially preventable conditions. These preventable transfers can be avoided when a physician or nurse practitioner is available for real-time consultation and triaging.

Utilizing TeleVU, a Nurse Practitioner guided the frontline nurse to appropriately examine and triage the patient, potentially avoiding an unnecessary ED transfer. The frontline clinician has the peace of mind that an experienced clinician was “looking over their shoulder” to gain valuable hands-on experience and upskilling.