“There’s no other option”: Patient and referring provider perspectives on feedback and referral pathways to the emergency department in a Learning Health System

​

Canadian hospitals face persistent challenges providing timely emergency care. Patients frequently encounter overcrowding, prolonged triage and wait times that exceed Canadian Triage and Acuity Scale (CTAS) targets. Limited access to outpatient care, specialty consultations, and timely follow-up further strain the system and contribute to potentially avoidable emergency department (ED) use. Optimal outcomes are achieved when care is delivered by the right provider in the most appropriate setting. Feedback can influence clinician practice; however, poorly designed feedback may worsen performance. Within Learning Health System (LHS) frameworks, feedback is central to continuous improvement; however, little is known about what feedback referring providers need to evaluate ED referral decisions or how patients experience referral pathways. The study explored patient and referring provider perspectives on ED referrals and feedback to inform development of an ED-based LHS intervention.

​

​Read more…