CANSync

The Canadian Syncope Atlas

Syncope is a transient loss of conscious, characterized by rapid onset, short duration and spontaneous recovery, due to low blood flow to the brain. It is a common condition and may be the final presentation for a variety of medical conditions ranging from benign to life threatening. Determining the cause of syncope can often be challenging which often leads to frequent visits to the emergency department (ED), admissions to the hospital, specialist evaluations and the use of expensive testing. in order to improve access to, quality, and cost of syncope care, we need to know the extent of syncope-related health services utilization in Canada.

The Canadian Syncope Atlas (CANSync) will address gaps in evidence regarding the patient journey from the health care system perspective, as well as from the patient perspective. We will examine practice patterns, outcomes, and costs associated with syncope care in the pre-hospital, ED, and hospital settings. The three objectives of CANSync are:

1. To evaluate provincial differences in discharge patterns and outcomes of patients presenting to the ED with syncope
2. To examine factors associated with ambulance use and its impact on outcomes in patients with syncope
3. To assess the economic burden of syncope management

In the future, we will use CANSync to examine the impact of patient characteristics and clinical factors that can be used to establish an effective dialogue with patients and their families on perceived barriers to care and potential interventions to address them, measure the effectiveness of interventions, and inform the design of innovative clinical trials for efficient and cost-effective syncope care; all directed at meeting CANet’s strategic goal of a 30% reduction in syncope ED visits and hospitalizations.