AI assists in ER pilot project

Emergency rooms across the country, including Manitoba, are known for overcrowding and long wait times. According to the National Ambulatory Care Reporting System, there were almost 14 million unscheduled emergency department visits reported in Canada between April 2021 and March 2022 - up from over 11.7 million in 2020-2021.

Victoria Hospital is researching how the use of AI can help with crowding in the ER with the assistance of University of Winnipeg's Dr. Farzad Zaerpour.

With this funding, the primary aim is to further develop and implement AI-driven solutions to alleviate overcrowding in emergency rooms.

Dr. Farzad Zaerpour

Dr. Zaerpour was awarded $13,575 for his project Artificial Intelligence in Modernizing Emergency Departments: From Strategic Planning to Optimizing Operational Performance. The intention of the one-year project is to demonstrate the potential of an AI-based patient flow model in addressing the challenges of emergency department crowding.

"The issue of overcrowding in emergency rooms is a critical challenge faced by healthcare systems worldwide," shared Dr. Zaerpour. "By leveraging AI technologies, we aspire to address this pressing issue by streamlining processes, reducing wait times, and enhancing overall efficiency. Ultimately, our research endeavors to contribute to the advancement of emergency healthcare delivery, benefiting both healthcare providers and patients alike."

Dr. Zaerpour is looking into improving emergency room efficiency and wait times using AI technology in a new one-year pilot program thanks to funding from the Victoria Hospital Foundation and the Manitoba Medical Service Foundation.

"With this funding, the primary aim is to further develop and implement AI-driven solutions to alleviate overcrowding in emergency rooms. " explained Dr. Zaerpour. "Specifically, we intend to refine existing algorithms and technologies to optimize patient flow, reduce waiting times, and enhance overall efficiency within emergency care settings."

The first year of this project will include a comprehensive literature review on AI-based patient flow optimization in emergency departments, data preprocessing and artificial intelligence, and machine learning model development. It will also include an initial patient flow analysis, a small-scale pilot test of the developed AI models and decision support systems in an emergency department, and a report to serve as a basis for future project planning.

Dr. Zaerpour is an associate professor at the Department of Business and Administration within the Faculty of Business and Economics at The University of Winnipeg. Dr. Zaerpour earned his PhD in operations management from the Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary. He holds an MSc in Supply Chain Management from the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Dr. Zaerpour has contributed significantly to the field of operations management through his publications in reputable peer-reviewed journals.

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