If
you live in a rural, northern or remote community in Canada and
need to visit a health professional, telemedicine may be the answer
for you.
Telemedicine
programs, such as the NORTH Network, use two-way television and
electronic medical instruments to provide specialist consultations
for patients over a distance. More than 10,000 Ontario citizens
have already used the NORTH Network to access health care professionals
while remaining in their home communities -- saving significant
amounts of time, travel, cost and stress. Patients and providers
are pleased with their telemedicine experiences, reporting satisfaction
rates exceeding 90 per cent.
Telemedicine
is not used for all types of medical care, but in our experience,
it can help avoid at least 25% of travel. For example, the NORTH
Network provides remote health care services in more than 70 specialty
areas such as pre and postoperative care, dermatology, cardiology,
psychiatry and emergency stroke care. It also supports health care
professionals practicing in isolated communities by providing linkages
to fellow clinicians and access to continuing professional development.
Telemedicine
has now become part of every day health care in many Ontario communities
and should one day be available in all rural communities. In its
next iteration, telemedicine will link directly to patients in their
homes, assisting them with wellness maintenance and post-hospitalization
home-care as well as monitoring and management of chronic diseases.
Telemedicine will continue to improve care and increase satisfaction
while reducing costs.
