ED Wait Time Patient Experience Improvement
Duration: August – November
Role: UX/UI Designer
CONTEXT
Healthcare in BC
The Emergency Department Wait Times website is managed by Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) technical teams. This tool provides estimated wait times for Emergency Departments (EDs) and Urgent Primary Care Centres (UPCCs) across BC’s Lower Mainland.
While managed by VCH, they collaborate with Fraser Health Authority (FHA) sites to ensure BC’s residents have access to the most up to date wait time data. FHA stakeholders expressed concerns that the system’s existing method for calculating and displaying wait times was unintentionally discouraging patients from visiting sites.
PROBLEM
Patients are not going to the nearest emergency site
- Local users become discouraged from visiting their nearest emergency or UPCC site when they see a high posted wait time.
- Facilities appear overwhelmed, even when they are not.
- The data is often unreliable and does not reflect actual experiences.
SOLUTION BREAKDOWN
Improving the design with engaging insights
- Showcase a range of wait times rather than the 90th percentile.
- Include an hourly trend graph to give users a better understanding of patient volumes.
- Add Canadian Triage & Acuity Scale (CTAS) graph to help users understand severity.
- Introduce a built-in CTAS Calculator that lets users assess themselves.
RESEARCH
ED wait times influence users’ decision–making
Fraser Health facilities often show very high estimated wait times on the website (often 3–5 hours). They represent the 90th percentile of wait times experienced by patients, which we believe is the reason patients are not seeking emergency medical attention immediately at their nearest site.
- Spoke with users who had experience using the website in its current form during an emergency.
- Developed documentation about the user experience of the platform to help drive insights.
- Worked with stakeholders to understand pain points within.
Users misinterpret the posted wait times
- Users make high-stakes decisions quickly. Long numbers create anxiety and lead to avoidance of local facilities.
- Context behind the number is missing. Users misinterpret the 90th percentile as a guarantee rather than an estimate.
How Might We…
IDEATION
Exploring early concepts and potential directions
In this phase we began shaping how the dashboard could support clinicians and patients more effectively:
- Sketching UI options for triage clarity.
- Mapping the user flow for hospital and UPCC selection.
- Evaluating alternative visual layouts for wait time displays.
- Early CTAS breakdown concepts and calculator placement.
FINAL DESIGN
New and improved dashboard design
The final solution delivered:
- Updated Fraser Health hospital ED and UPCC cards.
- Added an hourly graph based on historical wait time data.
- Canadian Triage & Acuity Scale (CTAS) graph.
- CTAS Calculator tool.
Projected Results
REFLECTION
Key Takeaways
The ED Wait Times website is a key tool that many of my friends and colleagues have used during times where they were having an emergency. While the work I did was for an already existing product, I found it to be a fulfilling experience improving the design of a platform that actively influences the lives of it's users. In the future it would be great for FHA to build a standalone tool for their own sites, but I admire the collaboration among health authorities and was happy to contribute.
