Campbellford Memorial Hospital (CMH) has introduced the Rural Stop Gap (RSG) Program to address common challenges faced by rural hospitals in Ontario, Canada.

The challenges include inappropriate emergency department visits and extended hospital stays due to insufficient home and long-term care support.

The initiative follows an evaluation via the Early Adopter Health Network (EAHN) and is led by health tech company Gotcare and supported by the OBIO Life Sciences Critical Technologies and Commercialisation Centre of Excellence.

The RSG Program at CMH is designed to optimise patient flow and ensure discharge on time using technology.

These encompass smart devices, such as wearable pendants with fall detection, tailored tablets, mobility monitoring, and a help button connecting to a virtual response team around the clock.

CMH Patient Care vice-president and chief nursing executive Heather Campbell said: “For a 38-bed rural hospital, every unnecessary day in a bed matters. The Rural Stop Gap Program allows us to discharge patients sooner without compromising safety, and early results show the impact is immediate.”

The programme has shown impact in its first month at CMH, freeing up an average of 14.5 acute-care bed-days per patient.

Combining digital surveillance with direct assistance, the initiative allows elderly individuals with intricate long-term health issues to go back to their homes securely within 12 to 24 hours following a hospital referral or release.

This has alleviated bed-blocking issues, enabling more efficient treatment of other patients.

Patients discharged from CMH are paired with a local health ambassador who provides wellness checks, addresses safety concerns, enhances digital health literacy, and sets up smart devices.

These ambassadors, together with virtual nurses and occupational therapists, offer support for patients.

The Gotcare platform ensures that all patients, including those without a phone or internet access, receive regular wellness check-ins and technology training.

Any changes in a patient's condition are flagged by the platform for immediate attention, either virtually or in person. This hybrid approach facilitates earlier hospital discharge and promotes better health at home for patients with complex requirements.