Introducing Toronto's first emergency pre-triage

Patients coming into the our emergency department (ED) will now receive a ‘pre-triage' assessment immediately upon entering.

A first for Toronto, the concept of ‘pre-triage' screening is a result of the collaborative efforts between experts at Sunnybrook and Cleveland Clinic.

Although current practice sees patients assessed as soon as they enter the ED, the full triage process of taking vital signs and a patient history can take about 15 minutes per person. In a busy ED, when multiple patients enter the department at once, a pre-triage step can ensure the most seriously ill or injured patients are seen before others.

This new practice is expected to improve patient satisfaction and ensure every patient is prioritized in the most appropriate manner.

We've been working together with Cleveland Clinic to learn more about how processes in the ED can be improved to reduce wait times and enhance the overall experience for patients.

"Working with Cleveland Clinic has been a highly beneficial experience for our teams in the Emergency Department," says Barry McLellan, our president and CEO.

"We have learned from them and they have learned from us, which is exactly what we wanted to achieve," he adds.

"At Cleveland Clinic Canada, we are proud to have facilitated this collaboration," says Michael Kessel, its president and CEO.

In the future, the organizations will examine other areas where they can both share expertise and work towards a common goal of improving patient care.