The Initiative:
- A Telehealth program that uses the Information Highway to provide remote consultation and continuing education services in Eastern and North Eastern Ontario through videoconferencing application
- Nine health care facilities partnered (1997 to 1999) cover approximately a 1000 Km range
- The result, implementation of a successful and sustainable video conference system to support physical Rehabilitation services
Key concepts of the program:
- clinical assessment, treatment, community outreach, education, administration, computer configuration, network administration, software development, multimedia development, research/evaluation, communication/information dissemination, shipping/transportation, project management
Outcomes:
- implementation of communication systems, validation of video conference approach, improved clinical video conference techniques, development of continuing education methods
Fundamental principle:
- to provide services at the right time, at the right place and at the right cost
Objectives:
- setup the community sites currently serviced by the Terry Fox Mobile clinic for distance communications
- Train the community staff how to use the communication system
- Provide on-line access to rehabilitation educational content that is applicable to rural communities
- Organize a regular, on-line consultation schedule for each site
The Technology used:
- Internet based technology was used to complete all consultations and educational sessions
- The system worked over regular telephone lines, the Internet, or a computer network
- Besides connecting to any site that had reliable telephone service, the low bandwidth conferencing system had low purchase and low maintenance costs
- Core communications software used was Microsoft Net Meeting (a standards-based video and data conferencing package that runs on any 32 bit Windows operating system)
- Net Meeting is free and is a standards-based video and data conferencing package
- The tools included were: Live-Video and Audio Conferencing, Whiteboard, Chat, File transfer, Program Sharing, data conferencing security features
- Project implemented in 1999—upgrade with Windows 7 to new software—Net Meeting replaced by Microsoft Office Live Meeting
- Motion Analysis software was used to enhance the video conference capabilities by enabling assessment of patient mobility and gait
- The system was easy to implement, easy to maintain, cost effective, and sustainable
Clinical application:
- Physical rehab consultations completed for communication disorders, foot care, gait problems, orthotics, prosthetics, upper extremity weakness, and wheelchair prescription
- Consultation time was 40 minutes
- Through an evaluation component of the program is was determined all clients were comfortable with the Telehealth consultations
- Once implemented the communication systems were self-sustainable by the rural communities
- Continuing education application included: web pages, handouts, slides, overheads, CD-ROM, Net Meeting Whiteboard and notebook computer projector
Challenges included:
- equipment funding from some hospital’s operating budgets, staff changes in the community, physician funding for video conference consultations
Funding from Telecommunications Access Partnerships (TAP) was essential for providing Telehealth technology in small communities.
For final report on this telehealth inititaive click on the following link:
http://www.irrd.ca/telehealth/distfile/rpt1999.pdf
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