Toronto SickKids ER wait times hit unprecedented levels, urge use of virtual triage platform

The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) is reporting unprecedented wait times in its emergency department, saying in many cases, the children coming in could be treated by a family doctor or walk-in clinic.

In response, the hospital is expanding its virtual triage tool to help guide parents and ease the crowds.

Dr. Daniel Rosenfield, an ER Doctor at SickKids, says their seasonal volumes are the highest in recorded history regarding how many patients they are seeing per day in May.

“Wait times for lower acuity complaints are three to four times what the average would be at this time of year,” said Dr. Rosenfield. “We see the sickest children first. We don’t operate on a first-come, first-serve basis… If you come in with an issue that is not necessarily emergent, you will be triaged lower on the list, meaning you will expect to wait longer.”

That has always been the case, Rosenfield says. The only difference now is that those waits are significantly longer than they were before.

Dr. Rosenfield said a few factors behind these unprecedented wait times are a rampant and rare springtime cold and flu season and less in-person access to primary care.

According to SickKids, the wait times are not due to increased COVID-19 infections.

“I think since the raising of public health restrictions a few months ago, all the regular kid bugs have come back with a vengeance,” explained Dr. Rosenfield.

“Traditionally, these would have been dealt with by walk-in clinics or in primary care providers’ offices. Families are telling us that they’re not able to book their appointment with their regular doctor quickly, or that they’re not open or things of that nature, so they end up coming to us.”

According to the Ministry of Health, 40 per cent of doctor’s appointments in Ontario are still virtual visits — that’s a significant drop from the height of the pandemic when 97 per cent of appointments were done by video or over the phone.

And virtual medicine is here to stay. Under the new Physician Services Agreement with the province, doctors can now bill OHIP the same amount they would bill for an in-person visit when they provide care by a video platform.

As a result of the unprecedented volume of ER visits, SickKids has expanded its virtual urgent care tool. It was previously only available to SickKids patients, but now anyone in the hospital’s catchment with an Ontario health card can take advantage of the tool.

Dr. Rosenfield tells CityNews this will allow parents to triage their children by using the symptom checker.

“So they’re either told you need to go to the emergency department right now, you can see your family doctor, or you may be eligible for a virtual visit with a provider like myself, one of the emergency physicians from SickKids.”

“Families really like the certainty of the choice and being empowered that this is the right move,” said Dr. Rosenfield. “I think the biggest question is ‘Where should I go?’ and this helps answer that.”

While virtual medicine is a great tool, Dr. Rosenfield said it’s key to keep a balance on both sides.

“We know the data is clear that many families love the services, and they have done great things to keep kids out of the emergency department. And our platform aims to do that,” explained Dr. Rosenfield.

“The flip side is if you talk to someone on the phone for a few seconds, you’re probably not going to have as robust an assessment. And so, I think all families, all providers, are trying to navigate that balance. And we’re just really trying to figure out which kids get served by each modality the best. And I think everyone’s doing their best to figure that out.”

The tool is available now on the SickKids website and only requires your health card.

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With files from Meredith Bond of CityNews