Virtual emergency care launching at four hospitals in B.C.’s Interior

Patients seeking emergency care at four hospitals in British Columbia’s Interior may now be seen by a doctor working virtually in a pilot project aimed at modernizing rural health services.

The Interior Health authority says in a statement the pilot will be used in hospitals emergency departments in Lillooet, Clearwater, Nakusp and Princeton, all locations that have been closed periodically because of staffing shortages.

It says the care teams will begin the new model a few nights a week, while continuing with in-person care on other evenings, but the authority says that will stretch to seven evenings a week starting in the new year.

As part of the pilot, a doctor will provide in-person care at one facility, while offering virtual support at three other emergency departments, and an eme