Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/3/2009 (4418 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Service is eyeing a new program as early as this May that would have patients with less serious health issues spending time at home instead of waiting in hospital emergency rooms. WFPS Chief Jim Brennan said he’s working with the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority to create what he calls a "virtual waiting room." Normally, Brennan said, nurses see patients arriving at an emergency department to assess a patient’s history and vital signs to gage how urgently they need medical help and how soon they should be admitted. "In this virtual waiting room concept, the idea would be, for some patients who can afford to wait, it might be best to keep them at home and send an ambulance later in the shift when we know that a certain hospital or facility has the capacity to deal with that. "It’s not something that they’re going to be in immediate danger in terms of illness or injury." He said the WFPS could make an online booking for a patient for an ER queue where the patient will be treated, and then transport the patient to the hospital later by ambulance. "We’d be able to get them assessed right away," he said. He said paramedics could potentially be deployed for an initial visit with a patient, and an ambulance could be called if necessary. "If a matter became more urgent, we’d be back again," he said.