TeleOncology offers an innovative method of delivering cancer care to VIHA’s population. Currently, over 60% of patients receiving care at the Vancouver Island Cancer Centre in Victoria are from rural and/or remote communities within the Central/North Island or the Gulf Islands. These patients experience financial, physical, and emotional hardships as they deal with their cancer. This is compounded by the anxiety, inconvenience, and expense of traveling to a regional cancer centre. TeleOncology gives these patients the opportunity to see their specialists while minimizing the inconvenience, cost, and travel of face-to-face care.
TeleThoracic enables Victoria-based thoracic surgeons to connect to a variety of locations geographically dispersed throughout Vancouver Island using state of the art technology. Pre and post-operative patients welcome this service to avoid unnecessary travel.
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TeleMental Health and Addiction Services provide access to both clinical consultations and educational opportunities for patients and families, as well as clinicians and mental health care workers, throughout VIHA. These services may increase the capacity to deliver timely and efficient care throughout the region.
For rural and remote locations, TeleMental Health and Addiction Services improves access to mental health care professionals for individuals and supports clinicians and physicians in these communities by providing access to mental health expertise.
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Eating disorders include anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Patients with an eating disorder often experience other conditions at the same time such as depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. A psychiatrist in Victoria specialized in eating disorders provides eating disorder consultations via Telehealth to locations where these services are needed.
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Down syndrome (DS) is the most common non-inherited “organic” cause of mental retardation, and occurs in approximately 1 of every 600 live births (source: BC Vital Statistics). Children with DS have an increased risk of certain congenital anomalies, & approximately 40% of people with DS are affected by a mental health disorder.
Telehealth enables specialist consultations within the community while lowering costs, eliminating travel, and reducing time away from work. This makes it more likely that both parents can be with a client during consultations.
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TeleGenetics provides a link between genetic specialists in Victoria and patients across the Island by enabling outreach programs. Genetics consultations are hosted from the Victoria General Hospital’s Genetics Department. This service reduces the wait times that were associated with the previous model that involved counsellors travelling to various communities across the Island.
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TelePathology uses digital images in the management and delivery of lab services. Pathologists at different locations share digital slide images over a secure network. This provides significant benefits such as faster delivery of lab results, timeliness, improved pathologist collaboration, and improved access to educational opportunities for remote lab staff.
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A significant and growing percentage of the Vancouver Island population suffer from diabetes - especially in First Nation communities. At least 20% of diabetics will experience vision impairment or complete blindness. TeleOphthalmology is a new technology where digital pictures of a patient’s inner eye (retina) are transmitted to an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) who then reviews the pictures and makes a diagnosis.
Early detection and treatment resulting from this diagnosis will prevent up to 90% of vision impairment and/or loss. Patients can have their eyes examined by an ophthalmologist without the inconvenience and expense of traveling to a major urban area.
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A stroke is a medical emergency that requires quick diagnosis and immediate treatment, and it is a major cause of death within the VIHA region. In some cases, emergency physicians request the assistance of neurologists; however, not all hospital settings have neurologists on site.
Using videoconferencing, TeleStroke enhances on-demand emergency acute stroke care by connecting neurologists in Victoria with Emergency Department staff.
With Telestroke, neurologists can communicate directly with the patient and family during assessment and discuss the treatment plan with all of those involved. Reducing the time to receive treatment is critical in improving patient recovery. Time is brain.
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The TeleHomecare program measures the progress of patients living with heart failure. In less than 5 minutes, patients can collect their daily weight, blood pressure, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels using an in-home vital signs monitor. The results are automatically transmitted over the patient's phone line to a Home and Community Care Heart Failure Nurse. Reviewing daily vitals allows the nurse and care team members to provide a targeted and rapid response to the patient's changing health status.
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This program connects physicians in Victoria specializing in Geriatric Psychiatry with sites on the Island. The clientele are seen locally by case managers; however, the Telehealth program provides the means for patient / physician consultations, without the travel to Victoria. Case conferencing between the site case managers and the physicians is another use of the technology.
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VIHA Telehealth works with their counterparts in BC or in other parts of Canada to connect you to your health care provider for consultations.
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