Alberta piloting virtual emergency physicians in 5 rural ERs
Posted February 5, 2025 5:48 pm.
Imagine going to the emergency room only to speak to a doctor over video chat.
“It’s when everything fails, rather than closing the emergency room, this is better,” explained Dr. Jane Ojedokun, the medical director for AHS North Zone.
Alberta is piloting remote physicians in a hand full of rural ERs in order to keep them open when no doctors can be found to fill an overnight or weekend shift.
Patients will have a nurse, and in some cases paramedic, there to assist the remote doctor.
“Both of them are able to observe, and in patients that would have been transferred by ambulance to a neighbouring site, are actually kept and managed in that particular site and discharged in a couple of hours or the next day,” said Dr. Ojedokun.
“I want people to be re-assured this is not going to be replacing the doctors in your community. recruitment piece is paramount.”
Patients not suited for virtual care, will still be transferred by EMS to neighbouring emergency rooms
Similar pilots are underway in British Columbia in Alberta, it’s being tested Edson, Hinton, Lac la Biche, Elk Point and Beaverlodge.
