This project expands the scope of paramedics responding to emergency calls to ensure patients receive appropriate care, the government said in a press release.

In cases where a person’s life is not in danger, this new system will allow paramedics to consult a doctor with a virtual triage mechanism. You can seek advice to direct the patient to the right place.

This doctor can be reached through the 811 hotline system in Saskatchewan. It helps paramedics decide whether to send the patient home or to a GP instead of taking them to a hospital’s emergency room, which could be overcrowded.

“If the patient is in any way hesitant or has questions about staying at home instead of going to the ER, the paramedic can contact the virtual doctor. The doctor will speak to the paramedic and the patient and reassure them if necessary,” said Jacquie Messer-Lepage, executive director and chancellor of the Saskatchewan College of Paramedics.

After SCHAthis pilot project will take place in Saskatoon over the next six to twelve months.

“And if the patient still wants to be transported to the hospital, they can do that. But with stable patients, it’s about keeping them at home where they feel comfortable as long as their condition doesn’t get any worse,” adds Jacquie Messer-Lepage.

A salutary project, according to the province

This program only applies to six specific scenarios, namely minor cuts or abrasions without active bleeding, mild to moderate allergic reactions whose symptoms resolve, flu-like illness, heat illness, hypoglycemia, and falls.

“By empowering our frontline healthcare workers with innovative and flexible options, we can better meet patient needs and reduce pressure on emergency departments,” Secretary of State for Mental Health and Addiction, Senior Citizens and Health Everett Hindley said in the press release.

According to the Saskatchewan Health Department, only adult patients are currently affected by this pilot project.

“We have ambulances that cannot take other calls because they are waiting for care to be handed over. Using a program like this will ease that pressure and hopefully reduce wait times,” says Messer-Lepage.

Brent Thoma, a professor of emergency medicine, emergency room physician and traumatologist at the University of Saskatchewan, says it’s often difficult to get treatment in the emergency room because hospitals are overcrowded.

“When our hospitals are full, there is no room for patients who come into the emergency room and need to be hospitalized,” adds Brent Thoma.

The pilot project to treat and refer patients to the emergency room will last three years in total. It will include the company’s participation Medavie Health Services West.

The goal as specified in the SCHAis to later expand it to Regina and other emergency services.

With information from Laura Sciarpelletti