Sunnybrook helps lead the way for the future of virtual urgent care in Ontario

Ontarians in need of urgent medical care will soon have a new option to consider thanks in part to the team behind Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s virtual emergency department.

Sunnybrook’s virtual emergency department launched in December, 2020, as part of a pandemic pilot project involving Unity Health Toronto and University Health Network. Together, the institutions worked to provide Toronto's Virtual Emergency Department, offering same-day appointments with emergency department physicians from across the city seven days a week.

Amid a decrease in emergency department visits during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the goal was to reach patients in their homes so they would not have to come to the hospital, service under-served populations, reduce wait times and improve the patient and family experience.

Since it began, Sunnybrook’s virtual emergency department has seen more than 5,500 patients seeking medical attention for health concerns that are not life-threatening.

“Most patients speak positively about it,” says Dr. Justin Hall, an emergency physician and program lead for Sunnybrook’s virtual emergency department. “We often think of virtual care as lesser care but many patients have found it to be a better option.”

Sunnybrook has now received funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health to continue offering this trusted resource in partnership with UHN.

Sunnybrook will also help lead the province’s transition to one regionally coordinated virtual urgent care model.

Under the new model starting this fall, Ontarians will be able to access regional urgent care by contacting Health811. After speaking with a registered nurse for intake and triage, they will be provided with a link to book an appointment online with a nurse practitioner.

Nurse practitioners are specially trained and authorized to assess, diagnose and treat a wide range of health conditions and can prescribe medications and order some tests. Nurse practitioners offering virtual urgent care will be able to consult with a physician if needed. Patients may also be booked for further testing, a follow-up appointment or a referral to another clinic or specialist.

At a time when emergency departments across Ontario face ongoing pressures, virtual urgent care offers patients with less severe illness another option to consider.

It also represents Sunnybrook’s ongoing commitment to help invent the future of healthcare.

“Technology can help enable urgent care that is timely, compassionate and accessible to all, including under-served patients and those without primary care providers,” says Dr. Hall.

“Ultimately, we hope to see virtual care that is seamlessly integrated with in-person care.”

Sunnybrook President and CEO Andy Smith says he welcomes the move by the Ontario government to extend funding for the virtual emergency department to March 2024.

“As an institution committed to inventing the future of healthcare, we are pleased to be able to offer this leading-edge and trusted resource for Ontarians,” he says.

“We have seen that virtual urgent care aligns with excellent, patient-centered and integrated care delivery and we look forward to continuing to collaborate with our partners in government and across the healthcare system to provide people with this option.”