Kirsten Larsen
Northern News Services

NNSL (Apr 09/99) - Patients needing a referral to see a specialist or a followup session with a psychiatrist may not have to travel to get help.

Yellowknife's Stanton Regional Hospital has been audio-visually linking physicians and patients in Inuvik and Fort Smith through video conferencing equipment which will be connected with Edmonton hospitals and specialized medical facilities by the end of the month.

The specialized telehealth equipment not only enables physicians to see and hear their patients during a live teleconference, but is equipped with medical tools that enable them to listen to a patient's heart, see inside the nasal and ear cavities and view a patient's X-rays during the visit.

Stanton Regional Hospital has had its telehealth equipment since July 1998 and has been expanding its use of the equipment while waiting for Edmonton to link up.

"We were just focusing on internal medicine and orthopaedics and are now looking at other areas," said Mary Deans, telehealth coordinator for Stanton. "We are the only (medical facility) in Canada using the equipment for regular scheduled clinical visits. Every Thursday (specialists) are either in Inuvik or Fort Smith seeing patients (telecommunicating from Yellowknife).

"Others in the provinces are using it only for on call cases. There is telehealth starting up all over the provinces, but we are at the forefront."

Stanton is preparing for a new phase to extend the use of the equipment for mental health and for social services purposes. By next week, patients who have had to fly in to see their psychiatrist at Stanton for follow-up sessions may instead be meeting through private teleconference.

Stanton has also scheduled the equipment to be used by social services.

"There is a (teen) going to a foster home (in Inuvik) and will meet the foster family and the new social worker in Inuvik (while teleconferencing in Yellowknife)," said Deans. "That way, actually going to Inuvik won't be so stressful."

Deans said Stanton also plans to use the equipment for visits with dermatologists and other specialists in Edmonton once they are linked. "The dermatologists in Edmonton have seen it (the equipment) and are quite excited," said Deans.

Once there is a link with Edmonton, there is also the possibility of using it for continuing education such as hooking up to an education workshop conference, or a lecture at a University.

Stanton's one year telehealth pilot will end in June and the program will undergo a review to determine the benefits and feasibility of continuing the program.

Deans said the telehealth program has had enthusiastic reviews from the patients and physicians that have used it so far and the possibilities of it's use are still being explored.