News release from Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) is pleased to announce a new pilot project booking system for some Emergency Department (ED) visits. Effective Thursday, June 1, the public can now book a same-day or next-day arrival time in the ED to be assessed and treated for minor injuries to a limb.
“As the busiest ED in the region, RVH will begin a new process where patients will be able to book an arrival time for registration for minor injuries such as a sprain, strain, or potential simple fracture to an arm or leg through an online booking portal. This new booking system is a pilot project with the goal to decrease overall wait times for patients by scheduling these arrival times earlier in the day to prevent ED overcrowding at the busiest times,” says Sharon Ramagnano, Operations Director Emergency, Critical Care and Trauma.
The program will start with six specific arrival times a day Monday to Friday for triage, registration, provider assessment, and potentially an X-ray for those that may require this as part of their care. Patients will be directed to answer some simple questions online about the events surrounding their injury as well as any potential exclusion criteria such as bleeding, loss of consciousness, head, neck, or back injuries. The pilot project begins June 1, however since next day appointments are available the public can begin to book today, May 31
“The project will be continually evaluated to eventually expand and include other minor ailments such as simple cuts or lacerations, as well as cold and flu symptoms. Patients will also be asked if they would like to consent to having an anonymous survey sent to them to gather patient feedback on the new process to continue to improve,” says Ramagnano. “The idea is to expand the number of assessments spots and grow the project.”
The booking link can be found on the RVH website (www.rvh.on.ca) under Emergency Department.
