Emergency departments and primary care clinics in Hamilton, Sudbury and Thunder Bay are leading a one-year pilot of the RCA’s post-fall rehabilitative care pathways.

The evidence-based care pathways for primary care and emergency departments are designed to connect frail older adults who fall with rehabilitative care to reduce functional decline and prevent additional falls. The pilot will determine the simplest and most effective ways to embed the pathways into clinical practice.

The pilot sites are launching between October and January. Each location will use the pathway to provide care to a randomized group of patients who arrive in either primary care or the emergency department after a fall. The patient will be referred to rehabilitative care services using the pathway (which has been adapted to reflect local services).

Evaluation will be based on clinician and patient feedback.  Sites will use a PDSA (plan, do, study, act) quality improvement approach on a three-month cycle to adjust the pathways or processes as needed.

The results of the pilot will guide revisions to the RCA pathway before it is finalized. The findings will also help the RCA to develop a clinical and operational toolkit and a strategy to support implementation across the province.

Interest in the pilot has been high across the province and other regions are welcome to enroll before January 2020. The RCA is also talking with Emergency Medical Services (EMS), which has expressed interest in supporting the pathway.

For more information, contact Gabrielle Sadler, Project Manager.