New and Emerging Interventions

This Horizon Scan complements our report on the factors that contribute to emergency department (ED) overcrowding and the interventions shown to effectively alleviate ED overcrowding. It identifies interventions not captured in the intervention effectiveness review because they were either new or not yet used widely in EDs and health systems across Canada.

Key Messages

• Many of the interventions identified in the Horizon Scan are being implemented in EDs across Canada; decision-makers can refer to this report when looking for interventions to implement within their local context.
• We have identified 87 new and emerging interventions and organized them into broad categories of factors that contribute to overcrowding, including those that influence:
  • the need for ED services and patient access to the ED (input factors)
  • the appropriate and efficient flow of people and care throughout the ED (throughput factors)
  • where patients go after visiting the ED; the efficient discharge of people from the ED (output factors).
• We have also identified interventions that address contextual factors to overcrowding that lie within broader health and social systems, and interventions that aim to address multiple contributing factors.