Local family health teams reach 30,000 patient milestone
The local family health teams established by Vitalité Health Network have reached an important milestone with nearly 30,000 additional patients registered in their patient base.
As of September, the Network had 27 active teams managing 164,027 patients. A new team was formed in the Campbellton area, while work continued to establish other teams in the Bathurst, Dalhousie and Richibucto areas.
A total of 154 physicians, 41 nurse practitioners and 92 other health care professionals are involved in the development of this collaborative model. This guarantees each resident a connection with an interdisciplinary team rather than a single doctor, which promotes collaboration, delegation of tasks and shorter access times.
The model comes with clear objectives: an appointment within five days for non-urgent consultations and within 48 hours for minor emergencies, to reduce pressure on hospital emergency departments. So far, 20 teams are offering this rapid service for minor emergencies, helping to ease the pressure on hospital emergency departments.
The Network also rolled out an artificial intelligence transcription tool, which is now available to 130 family doctors and nurse practitioners. This tool transcribes consultations in real time and generates structured notes that are integrated directly into the electronic medical record, reducing the time spent on administrative tasks.
Next steps
- Strengthen the integration of collaborative practices and optimize professional roles
- Support electronic medical record integration
- Recruit new professionals within teams
- Integrate public health and mental health services into the model
By 2029, the goal is for 100% of patients in the Network’s territory to be connected with a primary care team or provider and for collaborative work to become the norm throughout the primary health care system.
