At the onset of a recent Wednesday’s 7 a.m. shift in the Emergency Room (ER) of Toronto’s Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Dr. Justin Hall was faced with over 60 patients awaiting care. Sunnybrook, recognized for having Canada’s largest trauma and burn center, also holds the title for the lengthiest wait times in Ontario. In 2024, the median duration patients spent at Sunnybrook was eight hours and 13 minutes, with a significant portion enduring even lengthier waits.
Dr. Hall, serving as Sunnybrook’s chief of emergency medicine, highlighted the substantial challenge posed by these extended wait times. To address this issue, the hospital initiated a pilot program in July utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to expedite services in the ER. Through an AI-enabled app named DAX Copilot, which acts as a scribe, Dr. Hall can efficiently gather and organize patient information while focusing more on patient care.
The innovative use of AI allows physicians to streamline note-taking tasks, enabling them to make quicker decisions for patients and reduce their overall length of stay at the hospital. Dr. Hall emphasized that patient consent is obtained before utilizing the AI tool, ensuring transparency and ethical use of technology in healthcare.
Sunnybrook Hospital is currently evaluating the time-saving impact of the AI trial on doctors. According to information shared on the hospital’s website, the app is expected to reduce manual documentation time by an average of seven minutes per patient encounter. This not only enhances patient-doctor interactions but also alleviates some of the cognitive burdens on healthcare providers, enabling them to focus more on medical decision-making.
In addition to technological advancements, Sunnybrook has leveraged private donations to enhance patient care. By incorporating an extra overnight doctor into the rotation, funded by private contributors, the hospital has managed to reduce the wait time to see a doctor in the emergency department by approximately 30 minutes. Dr. Hall expressed gratitude for the support from donors, acknowledging their crucial role in improving healthcare services and outcomes.
Despite these efforts at the hospital level, Ontario’s health minister, Sylvia Jones, declined an interview regarding the province’s strategies for addressing extended wait times. In a statement, ministry spokesperson Ema Popovic highlighted the province’s significant investments in healthcare, including $44 million allocated to tackle ER wait times in recent years.