Background & Rationale:
Why Cambridge Memorial Hospital?

The hospital's Quality Improvement Plan has identified ambulance offload delays as an area for improvement, aiming to better align with provincial guidelines of 30 minutes [3].

The Region of Waterloo's "Paramedic Services Master Plan Update" identified CMH as accounting for the largest percentage of offload delays across the region (44%) [1].

Additionally, the hospital is committed to enhancing community health, supported by nearly $280 million in provincial funding for the hospital’s redevelopment project - including enhancements to laboratories, surgical day-care and in-patient facilities [20].

This proven commitment makes CMH the ideal hospital to focus on when implementing further enhancements to improve ambulance offload times in the Emergency Department.

Region of Waterloo. (n.d.). A photograph of an Ambulance. Paramedic Services. https://www.regionofwaterloo.ca/en/living-here/paramedic-services.aspx

Vision Statement

The vision for the Fit2Sit Training Initiative at Cambridge Memorial Hospital (CMH) is to enhance the ambulance offloading process by empowering paramedics to reduce delays, improve communication between paramedics and hospital staff, and ensure timely patient transitions. Our goal is to train paramedics on the utilization of the Fit2Sit process so that CTAS Level 5 patients are transferred into hospital care within the provincial best-practice benchmark of 30 minutes, allowing paramedics to return to emergency response faster.

This vision is rooted in a patient-centered approach, prioritizing safety, dignity, and equitable access to emergency care while also improving hospital efficiency and reducing systemic pressures on EMS services. By addressing offload delays with a technology-driven solution, CMH can improve patient flow, alleviate emergency department congestion, and enhance EMS response times across the region.

Values

Efficiency

Streamlining workflows and processes to facilitate faster transfer of care.
Faster patient handovers allow paramedics to respond to emergencies sooner.
Optimizing resource allocation in the emergency department to minimize bottlenecks.

Accountability

Using data-driven insights to measure the program’s impact on offload times and EMS availability.
Commitment to continuous evaluation, refining the system based on training results.
Aligning with CMH’s quality improvement goals to meet the 30-minute offload target and the provincial best practice standard.

Collaboration

Coordinated teamwork ensures that Fit2Sit patients are processed efficiently without unnecessary delays.
Encouraging feedback from EMS providers and hospital staff to refine the pilot program.
Help paramedics and other healthcare providers understand their role in Fit2Sit, and work together to increase its utilization.

Equity

Ensuring fair and timely access to emergency care for all patients, regardless of acuity or background.
Reducing delays for non-urgent patients while maintaining critical care for high-acuity cases.
Supporting EMS personnel’s well-being, reducing burnout caused by excessive wait times.