Clinical Characteristics of an Emergency Department-led Asynchronous Care Platform

Area of Science:

• Digital Health
• Healthcare Management
• Clinical Informatics

Background:

• Asynchronous care offers improved healthcare accessibility and cost reduction for low-acuity conditions.
• Emergency department (ED)-led platforms are emerging to manage these conditions.
• This study evaluates an ED-led asynchronous care platform within a large academic health system.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe usage patterns, patient demographics, and short-term clinical outcomes.
• To assess the effectiveness of an asynchronous care platform for low-acuity conditions.
• To evaluate the viability of this model in an urban academic setting.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study of an asynchronous care platform (Dec 2023-Oct 2024).
• Inclusion of common low-acuity conditions: UTIs, conjunctivitis, etc.
• Primary outcome: subsequent ED or clinic visit within 7 days; secondary outcomes: diagnostic/medication changes.

Main Results:

• 343 encounters managed via asynchronous care from 277 patients; median age 32.6 years, 93.1% female.
• Common complaints: urinary (45.8%), vaginal candidiasis (28.0%), conjunctivitis (16.6%).
• 24.5% had a subsequent visit within 7 days; 1.5% had a diagnosis change within 7 days.

Conclusions:

• An asynchronous care platform is a viable method for managing select low-acuity conditions in an academic health system.
• The platform demonstrated appropriate triage and low diagnostic discordance rates.
• This model shows promise for expanding access to care for specific low-acuity complaints.