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fall 2009 |
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h e a l t h t e c h n o l g y
Telehealth legacy continues to build in Newfoundland and Labrador
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Stock Photo |
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Telehealth
plays an important role in improving the delivery of equitable health services
to patients in Newfoundland and Labrador and simply put, it has become a way
of delivering care in this province.
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Submitted Article |
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What began as a research interest at Memorial
University in the late1960s has evolved into an integral part of the health
care delivery system in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Telehealth
plays an important role in improving the delivery of equitable health services
to patients in Newfoundland and Labrador and simply put, it has become a way
of delivering care in this province.
In 2005, through provision of joint
funding from Canada Health Infoway and the provincial Department of Health
and Community Services, the Centre for Health Information and the regional
health authorities initiated a telehealth project which has resulted in a
strategic approach to the development of infrastructure and utilization of
technology to provide patient care in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The current
provincial telehealth project is nearing completion and a sustainability
plan is under development to support a fully integrated system which continues
to further enhance program delivery in the province. With a focus on chronic
diseases including oncology, nephrology, diabetes, mental health and neurology,
telehealth has allowed patients in this province access to improved health care
right in their own communities, saving travel time and costs for patients and
physicians at no cost to quality of care.
“Telehealth is a valuable new tool
in my practice. With the advances in telehealth technology, I feel very
confident in my ability to interact with my patients,” said Dr. Jonathan
Greenland, radiation oncologist, Dr. H. Bliss Murphy Cancer Centre. “It
has improved my patients’ access to care. It has improved continuity of
care by making it easy for me to follow my own patients regardless of
geography. This improved access and improved continuity in my view has
resulted in a major leap forward in the quality of oncology care for
rural patients.”
Use of telehealth services in the province has increased
significantly. For example, from March 31, 2007 to April 1, 2008 there
were 529 oncology visits, versus 1,170 visits in the same period the
following year, 2008-2009 - a 121 per cent increase. Nephrology visits,
in these same time periods, were 67 and 2,030 respectively, an increase
of 2,929 per cent. This major growth in nephrology can be attributed in
part to implementation of all provincial satellite tele-dialysis units.
In a province like Newfoundland and Labrador, which is geographically
large with a dispersed population and harsh weather conditions, telehealth
has played, and will continue to play, an important role in closing gaps
resulting from these challenging realities.
For more information about telehealth or
the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Heath Information, please visit
our website.
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