87 per cent of virtual P.E.I. consultations avoid in-person appointments: province

Virtual Hallway on a mobile device. (Source: Prince Edward Island)

An online primary care platform allows a majority of users to avoid in-person appointments in Prince Edward Island.

According to a news release from the province, Virtual Hallway, which connects physicians and nurses with specialists in P.E.I. and Nova Scotia for patient-specific advice, has been operational on the Island for the last 10 months. In that time, nearly 87 per cent of virtual consultations avoided the need for in-person referrals.

“I can spend 10 to 20 minutes on the phone consulting with a nurse practitioner or family doctor, and we can often avoid the months of waiting it might take for one of their patients to get an appointment with me,” said Dr. Pat Bergin in the release.

Virtual Hallway has more than 200 registered users in P.E.I.

“The platform allows them to upload pertinent test results and documents, so I can take some time before we meet to get acquainted with the case,” Bergin said. “We can usually get through a consultation in 15 minutes on the phone, and then I make some notes to share back.”

Virtual Hallway originally launched in Nova Scotia in 2022.

For more Prince Edward Island news visit our dedicated provincial page.