Grant: Catalyst Grant: Quadruple Aim and Equity

As defined by the BC government, over 19% of British Columbians live rurally. Many factors impact rural communities such as access to health services, geography, and social and cultural factors. People who live in rural communities also have poorer health, more chronic conditions, and an increased risk for injures and death related to those injuries. Staff and physician shortages have increased over the last 18 months. Changes have been made to the delivery of emergency health services with a focus on the local team supported by real time virtual support and increased transportation initiatives. The delivery of quality and timely emergency health services in innovative ways in rural, remote, and Indigenous communities is essential to the wellbeing of their populations. Yet, little research has been done in this area. This study will explore the delivery of emergency health services in two rural communities through the collection of stories to better understand what works well, and how these initiatives work in different settings. We will also collect data from emergency health services delivery (e.g., # of patients seen, # of patients transported out of the community, # of connections to virtual support). The results of this study will provide important information for emergency health services teams in the community to continue to deliver high quality services ensuring good outcomes for patients and meeting the needs of patients and providers while paying attention to the costs of the services delivered. The lessons learned will also be helpful for other rural communities in BC, Canada and internationally.