NE LHIN supports expansion of Telemedicine

North East Local Health Integration
News Release

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Rather than moving Northeastern Ontario patients to visit their doctors, the North East Local Health Integration Network (NE LHIN) is supporting the expansion of technology to save time, cost and travel.

Over the past year, the North East LHIN’s use of Telemedicine has been steadily increasing. The North East is the highest user of the technology among Ontario’s 14 LHINs, embracing it as a way to improve access to care for Northerners.

This eHealth solution, delivered through the Ontario Telemedicine Network, is ideal for our region’s gigantic land mass, aging demographic, scarce health human resources, difficult climate, and often great distances for medical care between communities.
Telemedicine helps to deliver clinical care to patients and distance education for health care professionals, using live, two-way videoconferencing systems and related diagnostic equipment. First introduced in Northeastern Ontario in1998, it is now available in 207 Northeastern Ontario health care locations from Attawapiskat to Wikwemikong.

“As we heard in our community engagements with more than 700 Northerners, we need to make full use of technology and expand telemedicine as an innovative way to improve Northerners’ access to health care,” says Louise Paquette, CEO, NE LHIN.

The North East has 40% of the province’s land mass, just 4.5% of the population, scarce health human resources, limited budgets, a difficult climate, and often great distances for medical care. In addition, the population has a poorer health status, and a more elderly and diverse population.

Here are two examples of how telemedicine is helping regional residents:

North Bay to Toronto burn consultation

Colleen Harrison of North Bay is singing the praises of telemedicine’s role in her baby daughter’s recovery from a recent injury. (pictured above)

About a month ago, Abigail pulled herself up to the table and put her hand in a freshly made cup of tea. A doctor at the local hospital wrapped the baby’s hand and asked them to come back in five days to have the bandages removed.

Due to the baby’s age, her physician was hesitant to remove the dead skin and here was talk of sending her to Sick Kids in Toronto. However, a Toronto doctor was able to see them that same day in North Bay by using telemedicine.

Abigail and her parents were spared the four-hour drive to Toronto and another telemedicine appointment was set to follow the case. At that appointment, North Bay Regional Health Centre staff used a special hand-held camera that could zoom in 50X for the doctor to have a very good look at Abigail’s hand and provide instructions to the nurses. One month later, the hand has healed so well that Abigail doesn’t have any scarring.

Ensuring communication in the circle of care
On two occasions, Carrie Hawkins of Elk Lake has been able to have a telemedicine conference about her father’s brain cancer with his oncologist in Sudbury. She works at the Elk Lake Nursing Station where they have been scheduling telemedicine appointments for about one year, but this was her first personal telemedicine experience.

“It saved us all a lot of travelling and time off work,” said Carrie. “I work at the Elk Lake Nursing Station so I was able to just take 15 minutes (a coffee break) out of my busy work schedule, and my brother was able to get away from his work for about half an hour. It saved me from travelling to Englehart to be with my father at the times of the video conferences, and also saved my brother a six-hour drive, as well as two days off work!”

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