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The Waiting Room Assessment to Virtual Emergency Department pathway: Initiating video-based telemedicine in the
Esli Osmanlliu1,2, Isabelle Gagnon1,2, Saskia Weber3
1Division of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Montreal Children's Hospital, McGill University, Canada.
Insights
The pediatric Waiting Room Assessment to Virtual Emergency Department (WAVE) pathway pilot was feasible and acceptable for non-critical patients. Families were satisfied with this innovative telemedicine approach, reporting no technical issues.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Telemedicine
- Healthcare Innovation
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic created significant challenges for pediatric emergency departments, increasing the need for adaptable clinical pathways.
- Emergency department overcrowding poses safety risks and can delay care for children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Waiting Room Assessment to Virtual Emergency Department (WAVE) pathway, a novel telemedicine service.
- To assess the impact of telemedicine on care delivery in a pediatric emergency setting previously unfamiliar with this modality.
Main Methods:
- A six-week pilot of the WAVE pathway was conducted, involving 18 five-hour telemedicine shifts.
- The pathway utilized video-based telemedicine for selected non-critical patients presenting to the emergency department.
- Feasibility and acceptability were assessed against five pre-defined criteria.
Main Results:
- The pilot involved 27 patients, meeting four out of five pre-determined feasibility and acceptability criteria.
- Participating families reported high satisfaction with the WAVE pathway.
- No significant technological barriers were encountered by families during their telemedicine consultations.
Conclusions:
- The WAVE pathway demonstrates a feasible and acceptable model for delivering telemedicine services in a pediatric emergency department.
- This innovative approach can help mitigate overcrowding and ensure timely care for non-critical pediatric patients.
- Telemedicine shows promise as a valuable tool in pediatric emergency care, with high patient and family satisfaction.
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented pediatric emergency departments with unique challenges, resulting in a heightened demand for adapted clinical pathways. In response to this need, the Montreal Children's Hospital pediatric emergency department introduced the WAVE (Waiting Room Assessment to Virtual Emergency Department) pathway, a video-based telemedicine pathway for selected non-critical patients, aiming to reduce safety issues related to emergency department overcrowding, while providing timely care to all children presenting and registering at our emergency department. The objective of the WAVE pilot phase was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of telemedicine in our pediatric emergency department, which was previously unfamiliar with this mode of care delivery. During the six-week, three-evening per week deployment, we conducted 18 five-hour telemedicine shifts. In total, 27 patients participated in the WAVE pathway. Results from this pilot phase met four of five a priori feasibility and acceptability criteria. Overall, participating families were satisfied with this novel care pathway and reported no disruptive technological barriers.
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