Hospitals in Ajax, Oshawa, Bowmanville and Port Perry now offer ER Patient Passports

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Published March 28, 2023 at 12:40 pm

Personalized ER wait time predictions is now a reality at Lakeridge Health.

People arriving at the emergency departments at Lakeridge Health’s four major hospitals in Ajax, Oshawa, Bowmanville and Port Perry will now receive a Patient Passport and a personalized predicted range for how long they can anticipate waiting to see a doctor.

“We recognize that waiting in an ED can be stressful for many people,” said Dr. Michael Howlett, Chief and Medical Director, Emergency Services. “With more information about their visit, we believe the new Patient Passport and personalized ED wait times will help to improve the overall patient experience and ease some anxiety through enhanced communication.”

The personalized Patient Passport not only estimates the patient’s estimated wait time range but also illustrates their emergency department journey from triage to registration and the waiting room, to initial assessment, treatment, and finally discharge. Patients will also see more wait time related information displayed on large, wall-mounted monitors, including the total number of patients waiting, number of patients being seen, and whether predicted wait times are on track.

The new Patient Passport is powered by the same Artificial Intelligence that predicts the stock market and helps in outer space flight.

“We’re proud to have partnered with Durham College’s Hub for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence to bring these emerging technologies to the people of Durham Region and set a new standard for the ED patient experience,” said Dr. Ilan Lenga, the Chief Information Officer, Lakeridge Health and the Regional Chief Medical Information Officer for all Central East hospitals, who added that he was “excited” by the latest innovation to ERs in Durham Region.

The new Patient Passport and personalized ED wait times are part of the second phase of the online ED Wait Times Tracker project. Launched last fall, the ED Wait Times Tracker is available on Lakeridge Health’s website at www.lh.ca. It is refreshed every 15 minutes and the wait time is based on the state of the ED over the preceding four hours.

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