Triage plays a crucial role in managing emergency department (ED) wait times by prioritizing patients based on condition severity, not arrival time, which helps allocate resources and reduce overcrowding. In addition to the administrative burden, there are cultural and language barriers that delay access to timely care for vulnerable and at-risk populations, impacting equitable treatment. To address this, West Haldimand General Hospital (WHGH) and Brightshores Health System seek a virtual triage solution to streamline access, reduce wait times, and provide culturally sensitive care tailored to its community’s needs.
WHGH and Brightshores Health System are posting this Call for Innovation to seek out qualified Canadian companies who can meet the following desired outcomes. WHGH, Brightshores and CAN Health reserve the right to not move forward with this project at its full discretion and in particular if there are no qualified Canadian companies that can reasonably meet the desired outcomes.
To qualify for a CAN Health project, the company must meet ALL of the following criteria:
- Headquartered in Canada (additional criteria apply for companies not headquartered in Canada)
- Majority ownership of both the company and the solution by Canadians
- Solution at Technology Readiness Level (TRL)>7, indicating actual technology completed and qualified through tests and demonstrations
- All the data and AI models (if applicable) must be hosted in Canada and comply with all the Canadian privacy regulations
- Possess all regulatory approvals required for commercialization, such as Health Canada approval
- Completion of all required clinical validity/unity studies
- No need for policy changes to be widely adopted
- Strong use cases in the Canadian health care system
If the company is not headquartered in Canada or the solution is not majority owned by Canadians, additional criteria apply:
- Independent autonomy over business operations and product development (for subsidiaries, affiliates or distributors)
- High Canadian job creation potential, especially in executive and senior management positions
- Commitment of over 70% of contract value to Canada
During the company selection process, preference is given to companies/solutions fully owned by Canadians, followed by those majority owned by Canadians, and finally international companies with a significant presence and economic impact in Canada.
For more information on the Call for Innovation process and the commercialization projects funded by CAN Health Network, please refer to the FAQ page on the CAN Health Network website: https://canhealthnetwork.ca/faq/
Problem Statement:
In Emergency Departments triage prioritizes patients based on the severity of their conditions rather than arrival time, resulting in extended wait times for less critical cases. However, vulnerable and at-risk populations (seniors, indigenous and newcomers to Canada) face unique challenges during triage, including language, cultural misunderstandings, and mistrust, which delay or complicate their care.
Objectives:
The goal of this project is to introduce a virtual emergency department triage solution at rural emergency departments in the Network (West Haldimand General Hospital, Brightshores Health System). The solution should be designed to simplify workflows, optimize limited resources, and improve access to culturally appropriate care. Additionally, this solution aims to reduce the influx of non-critical patients in the ED, lower wait times, and enhance patient flow, ultimately fostering patient satisfaction and ensuring equitable access to care for Indigenous communities.
Essential (mandatory) Outcomes:
- Language Accessibility: Support multiple languages with translation and clear, simple language, and offer audio/video explanations in Indigenous languages, minimizing the need for translators.
- Culturally Competent Care: Include culturally specific questions and respect traditional health practices.
- Reducing Bias and Discrimination: Use neutral, algorithm-based triage to minimize bias and stereotyping.
- Transparent Decision-Making: Provide clear explanations for recommendations to build patient trust.
- Managing Patient Flow: Pre-screen patients to prioritize urgent cases and reduce unnecessary ED visits and ED wait times (time to first assessment by Physician, Overall time in ED for non-admitted patients). Improve ED diversion by reducing CTAS 4 and 5.
- Addressing Staffing Shortages: Automate initial triage to reduce workload on staff.
- Specialist Consults: Allow remote specialist input to prioritize critical cases and reduce unnecessary transfers.
- Improved Transfer Efficiency: Coordinate transfers better with urban hospitals to ensure timely care, and streamline hospital communication to reduce delays in patient transfer.
Virtual emergency triage tools have been proven successful in large urban hospitals, however minimal tests have been conducted in rural settings, where they could significantly improve access to care, streamline workflows, and optimize limited resources. In rural communities, such tools have the potential to address language and cultural barriers faced by Indigenous communities, promoting language accessibility, reducing bias, and integrating Indigenous health practices. Virtual triage can foster a more inclusive and culturally safe healthcare experience for Indigenous patients.
