Timmins is one of six cities to be part of the first phase of the Ontario Telehomecare initiative, a partnership of Canada Health Infoway, the Ontario Telemedicine Network and the provincial government.
One hundred patients in Timmins, Ottawa, Hamilton, Toronto, Picton and Stratford who suffer from congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be provided with easy-to-use communications, diagnostic and information technology to monitor their own vital signs at home daily with the help of a registered nurse at a remote location.
"With this program, patients can better understand their conditions and learn to manage them," said Dr. Jim Bolton, Ontario Telemedicine Network's regional medical director. "Roughly two-thirds of people over the age of 45 have some kind of chronic disease.
"We've found there hasn't been a lot of success in teaching patients self-management strategies.
"We feel that's the fault of the health-care system, not the health-care providers."
The one-year first phase of the program focuses on heart and pulmonary diseases because of their frequent association with emergency room visits, making them good testing grounds for the initiative, according to Bolton.
Small, portable devices that monitor blood pressure, pulse and peak (respiratory) flow are installed in patient homes, allowing participants in the program to take readings daily. The results are sent electronically to a central office where registered nurses, such as Gloria Giustizia and Jennifer Robichaud, assess the readings.
"The readings could alert us to a patient with high blood pressure, which allows us to recommend any action that needs to be taken," said Robichaud. "We can ask them questions over the phone about what they've been eating or their activities. That shows us cause and effect."
A diagnostic monitor known as a "turtle" is installed in each patient home, which not only reads vital statistics, but takes each patient through an online questionnaire as a starting point for daily assessment.
Patients also visit with the nurses face-to-face once every two weeks.
Bolton said similar pilot programs across Canada and the U.S. have resulted in 35-to 75-per-cent reductions in emergency room visits.
To participate in the program, patients need a referral from a physician.
The Timmins-area Ontario Telehomecare program starts in late November.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Michael Peeling
Quelle/Source: Timmins Daily Press, 13.10.2007
