Dr. Catherine Varner

Our team us part of the Schwartz/Reisman Emergency Medicine Institute (SREMI), dedicated to improving care in the emergency department (ED).

Two of SREMI’s main priorities is to identify people that rely heavily on the ED for care and to better understand how to meet their needs. This includes populations for whom there are important gaps in knowledge about the best care approaches.  

It may come as a surprise, but emergency departments play a critical role in pregnancy care in Canada, an area that is a key focus of SREMI’s research. We have published foundational studies on how pregnant patients use healthcare services and what their experiences are during pregnancy.  

For example, our team has found that 4 in 5 people experiencing symptoms of miscarriage visited an emergency department in Ontario. Although the ED is the safest and fastest place to treat serious, life-threatening conditions, such as heavy uterine bleeding or a suspected ruptured ectopic pregnancy, pregnant patients who are not critically ill often report receiving suboptimal care in these settings.  

Recognizing these care gaps, our team at SREMI is leading initiatives to improve care pathways for pregnant patients locally, provincially and nationally.