Duane Hicks
The telemedicine studio at La Verendrye Hospital here has moved from the second floor to the ground floor in order to better serve patients.
It is located in the Outpatient Services area, with a new tabletop telemedicine unit also set up in the office of telemedicine co-ordinator Bev Thomson.
“It was an initiative that’s been in the works for some time,” noted Thomson.
“We’ve been wanting to move to where there was more access to a handicap washroom,” she said, adding they didn’t have that on the second floor.
“We now have access.
“Plus, we’re now part of the Outpatient Services,” said Thomson, pointing out the former location was amid administrative offices.
“As well, it’s much easier for the patient and their family to navigate through the facility itself,” echoed supervisor Glenna Morand.
“You come in through the front door, you register, and you come straight down the hall, whereas before you had to get into the elevator, hang a right.
“It just made more sense functionally.”
Signs also have been placed in the hallways to direct patients to the new location.
Thomson said the new main clinical studio not only is configured better than the previous one, but has a fresh look to it.
In fact, she’s already heard positive comments from patients who have utilized it.
Including the new tabletop telemedicine unit in Thomson’s office, Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. now has 10 Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) stations set up, including in Emo and Rainy River.
These range from ones dedicated to a particular department, like the chemotherapy unit, to those used in boardrooms and conference rooms.
Northern Ontario School of Medicine students use telemedicine weekly for educational purposes, as do local programs like Living With Stroke.
Telemedicine also is being used more at Rainycrest for residents there.
“Instead of having to travel here to La Verendrye, they can be seen there,” noted Thomson.
“It’s also a cost-saving because we don’t have to get an ambulance to bring the patient here,” she added.
“Sometimes they can’t travel by handi-van or with their family in a vehicle,” Thomson said.
“They might require an ambulance to bring them.”
The use of telemedicine (videoconferencing that allows patients to see physicians from Ontario and sometimes Manitoba without having to travel) continues to grow, Thomson noted.
“People are sometimes surprised that we’re here or that they can use this service,” she remarked.
“I think that people may not be aware that when they do travel out of town, that they can ask to be seen in follow-up via telemedicine.”
Morand said she had one patient tell her that she had an appointment to see a specialist in Toronto, and it was difficult to get there due to travel, weather, and financial issues.
But the patient went to the appointment, ended up spending just 15 minutes there, and then got on the plane to come home.
“When she realized that she was able to see this person via telemedicine, she was so grateful,” added Morand.
“Often we get that comment,” agreed Thomson. “It’s so much nicer than even having to travel to Thunder Bay, which is where a large number of our consultants are.
“If you’re having a quick follow-up with your physician or consultant, it’s so much nicer than travelling eight hours,” she reasoned.
The main clinical studio here even has a camera which, despite the long-distance, permits a physician or consultant to get a closer look at a patient’s condition, as well as a Bluetooth stethoscope to listen to their heart and lungs.
The public also may be unaware that if they have a family member at the Thunder Bay Regional Hospital or another site for a long period of time, there is a service called “Televisitation” where they can communicate with that loved one via telemedicine, noted Thomson.
This service is patient-generated—the patient just has to ask for it.
The rooms on the second floor where telemedicine previously was housed will be used for meeting rooms.
