Health system utilization following medical advice from Alberta's Virtual MD: a descriptive analysis.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Telehealth
• Emergency Medicine

Background:

• Alberta's Virtual MD program was created to improve nurse tele-triage.
• The program aimed to reduce emergency department (ED) visits for low-acuity conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utilization and impact of Alberta's Virtual MD program.
• To compare Virtual MD patient characteristics with Health Link 811 callers and the general population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of demographic and clinical data (April 2022-March 2023).
• Comparison of Virtual MD patients with Health Link 811 callers and Alberta population data.
• Assessment of patient adherence to Virtual MD recommendations (primary care, ED, self-management) using linked health administrative data.

Main Results:

• Virtual MD served 19,312 patients, predominantly female (62.3%), with a mean age of 34.8 years.
• Over half of patients followed recommendations: 55.7% saw primary care, 60.0% visited the ED, and 52.5% self-managed at home.
• Patients advised to seek primary care who instead visited the ED were more likely to have family practice-sensitive conditions (OR=1.65).
• Hospitalization rates were significantly lower for patients advised to see primary care compared to those advised to visit the ED (OR=0.33 for 4h callback, OR=0.15 for 24h callback).

Conclusions:

• Alberta's Virtual MD program effectively triages patients to appropriate care levels.
• High patient adherence to recommendations for primary care, ED, or self-management was observed.
• The service facilitates access to more suitable healthcare options, potentially reducing unnecessary ED utilization.