News Release Archive
HEALTH--PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM TELEMEDICINE ----------------------------------------------------------------- A new technology to help deliver health care in rural Nova Scotia has received a 100 per cent satisfaction rating from patients and solid support from the health care providers who used it. In a recent pilot project funded by the Department of Health, every patient exposed to telemedicine thought the technology was beneficial to them and a boost to the health care offered in their communities. "Any time health care can be improved close to home is a real step forward," said Health Minister Bernie Boudreau. "This technology breaks down distance, it means people can be treated in their home towns and their own communities, not put in an ambulance and sent to Halifax or Sydney." Telemedicine uses computer-based telecommunications technology to transmit medical data and video images between physicians at two or more locations. Information is transferred from a rural site with limited specialist resources to a specialist site with greater resources. The doctor in the rural site gets assistance with a diagnosis or with planning treatment for a patient. Telemedicine is a substantial support in the province's efforts to recruit and retain physicians in rural communities. The telemedicine pilot project linked hospitals in Guysborough, Sheet Harbor and North Sydney with specialists in radiology and dermatology at the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre in Halifax. The project also included a continuing medical education component with the participation of Dalhousie University, the Cape Breton Healthcare Complex and physicians in Guysborough, Sheet Harbor and North Sydney. The 12 continuing medical education sessions which ran from January to June 1996 fostered team building as a variety of health care providers (physicians, nurses, social workers, etc.) were able to attend. Telemedicine also provided for continuing medical education at a cost savings to rural physicians over the more traditional visiting professor method. "Telemedicine has been a tremendous benefit in this community, for patients and for health care providers," said Dr. Michael Hillis, a Guysborough family physician who participated in the project. "For physicians in rural communities, the interactive nature of telemedicine makes you more comfortable with new treatments and diagnosis -- it helps to reaffirm what you are doing. That's good for patients." In the long run, telemedicine can have substantial benefits for patients who no longer need to travel long distances for care, and for health care providers working in rural communities. For example, of five emergency cases in radiology that occurred during the pilot project, the immediate response of a radiologist in three of the cases meant the patient didn't need to be transported to a regional health care facility for further assessment. The result: considerable reduction in stress to the patient, the patient's family and to the rural health care providers treating the patient, cost savings for ambulance transport and possible reduction of hospital admission and inpatient days. The consulting radiologist believes the interpretation of x-rays using telemedicine technology is a reliable and accurate means of conducting routine radiological examinations. Dr. Jennifer Klotz, a Halifax-based dermatologist who was the consultant for the dermatology component of the telemedicine pilot project, said telemedicine helps rural physicians access specialist care and reduces isolation. "Patients loved it too," said Dr. Klotz. "I think it improves quality of care for rural patients." The pilot project determined that telemedicine is a satisfactory way to see patients requiring a dermatologist's care without compromising communication between patients and physicians. It was also determined that the accuracy of diagnosis was similar to "live" consultations. An assessment of the telemedicine pilot project, conducted in 1996, showed it is viable from clinical, educational and technical perspectives. This is the first telemedicine project in Canada to demonstrate that affordable, readily available computer hardware can be easily adapted to multiple clinical applications and video conferencing use. It is also the first Canadian project to be subject to a complete evaluation that determined the acceptance of the system to specialists, rural physicians and patients. A formal presentation of Nova Scotia's telemedicine pilot project -- and its successes -- will be presented at a Canadian Telehealth conference in Quebec later this month. -30- Contact: Lori MacLean 902-424-5025 trp Apr. 4, 1997 - 3:05 p.m.