Internal Medicine Virtual Specialist Assessment Program Reduces Emergency Department Transfers from Long-Term Care

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Digital Health

Background:

• Transfers from long-term care (LTC) to emergency departments (EDs) can cause care disruptions and risks for residents.
• Virtual care platforms offer a potential solution by expanding on-site care options, reducing unnecessary ED transfers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a virtual care platform on reducing ED transfers from an LTC facility.
• To assess changes in the proportion of transfers resulting in hospital admission.

Main Methods:

• A pre-post study design was used, analyzing transfer data from January 2019 to October 2021.
• An Internal Medicine Virtual Specialist Program (IMVSP) was implemented in June 2020, enabling remote specialist consultations.
• Qualitative data were gathered through employee interviews.

Main Results:

• A 13.0% reduction in the median monthly number of ED transfers was observed post-implementation.
• The median monthly proportion of transfers resulting in hospital admission increased by 26.1%.
• LTC staff reported satisfaction with the virtual care program.

Conclusions:

• The IMVSP effectively reduced ED transfers from LTC facilities.
• Virtual platforms enhance access to specialist care, improving care quality for LTC residents and mitigating transfer-related risks.