Overview of Canadian systems for hospital transfers
The article discusses interhospital transfer coordination structures in Canada and how they operate.
The researchers conducted a survey of ten managers/medical officials from seven coordination structures of interhospital transfers across Canada to develop an inventory of these structures and to detail how they operate in terms of governance, resources, tools, and processes.
Read this open access paper on the FACETS website.
The survey found that all structures manage interhospital transfers for some specialized trajectories and that they have a call center as the main entrance point. The structures differed in terms of the profile of staff processing transfers and transportation coordination, and the type of information displayed on the dashboard and performance indicators.
The study suggests that Canada may benefit from having an inter-provincial community of practice for interhospital transfer coordination structures to promote best practices, identify solutions and harmonize services and processes.
Future research should focus on elaborating Canadian guidelines based on scientific evidence and expert agreement. The authors also suggest that a single point of contact for interhospital transfers could improve efficiency and patient results. Additionally, implementing electronic algorithms and artificial intelligence could further enhance these structures.
Finally, the study highlights concerns regarding disparities in healthcare access and provision across Canada, emphasizing the need for further research to evaluate how structural differences impact patient results and resource use.
Read the paper — Inventory and characteristics of Canadian interhospital transfer coordination structures by Marie-Eve Desrosiers, Lynne Moore, David Nguyen-Tri, Aubin Armand Keundo, Denis Boutin, and Caroline Ouellet.