Inuvik (Jan 22/07) - Imagine the sound of a child's heartbeat, broadcast across the country into a doctor's stethoscope.

Or imagine a mental health professional from Edmonton sitting down with a patient in a Northern community, for a one-on-one talk.

Thanks to a video-conference system, Victoria Phillips, right, of the Inuvik Regional Hospital is able to 'shake hands' with speech therapist Deborah Anderson, from Burlington, Ont. The systems are being installed across the NWT, and are already commonplace in Nunavut. - Philippe Morin/NNSL photo

These two scenarios - and countless others - are increasing in the NWT and across the North, thanks to modern video-conferencing technology.

Victoria Phillips, who works with the Beaufort Delta Health and Social Services Authority as a telehealth coordinator, said the Inuvik Regional Hospital has been using the technology for several years.

With a $100,000 setup, which includes a television, cameras and specialized equipment, she said professionals like speech therapist Deborah Anderson from Burlington, Ont. can 'meet' with children in the Beaufort Delta for speech therapy sessions once a week.

Before the device was installed, Phillips said, 92 kids in Inuvik were on a waiting list for speech therapist assessments.

"We had many families and children in need, and the only opportunity was to go on a waiting list in Yellowknife. But then, how often can you get to Yellowknife? And what about follow-up visits? Some people went only once every four months," she said.

And while the videoconferencing hardware is expensive to install, Anderson said it might just represent the future of specialized healthcare in the North.

"Children of this generation are so used to playing computer games, they just think of it as something similar," she said.

In a pilot project started in Jan. 2006, Phillips said speech therapy was given to 25 children from Inuvik.

Anderson visited Inuvik every two months to speak with families and assess their progress, and continued to meet with children via telehealth once a week.

The program is now set to expand into Tuktoyaktuk, Fort Good Hope, Norman Wells, Tulita, Colville Lake and the Sahtu in the next few months, and Phillips said the NWT is hoping to match Nunavut, which already has tele-health set up in every community.

"I'm crossing my fingers," she said. "But optimally we could have telehealth in all our communities within two years. I know nurses in these communities are asking for this and hoping they will get it," she said.

While tele-conferencing is already common on the Internet, Phillips said the machines are not only Internet-based. They use six telephone lines and a broadband satellite connection, which provides a full-screen television connection of high quality, with a two or three second delay.

"The biggest part of the cost is the communication cost," Phillips explained.

"The system uses a remarkable amount of bandwidth, which can be difficult especially in small communities."

However, Anderson said the technology is especially appropriate for specialized services like speech therapy, whose professionals are in high demand.

She said there is a shortage of speech therapists across Canada, and the North usually gets only recent grads, who often leave after one or two years.

Before the pilot project, there had been no such therapist in Inuvik for three years.

"Even in southern Ontario and southern Alberta, there is a shortage. That makes it even more difficult for Northern Canada to have professionals who stay long term. This model provides a continuity of service. We could be working in Inuvik for the next 20 years, the feasibility is now there. We're able to provide a consistent service," Anderson said.

She added that speech impediments are disproportionately common in the North due to ailments like fetal alcohol syndrome, and they can lead to lifelong troubles if not properly addressed.

"It's really important that we identify children early. If a child has a language barrier, there is a high risk for a learning disability. And if there are no services in place, those children are set up to fail in their education in their later years," she said.

While a $100,000 price tag might seem expensive at first glance, Phillips said the system could save tax dollars in the long run.

For instance, she said patients are often flown to Edmonton or Inuvik for consultations, and their hotel bills are paid by medicare.

"When we do dermatology, we just need people to come in for pictures, but often they have to stay four days," she said of the Inuvik hospital.

In addition, she said it's possible to install video=conferencing equipment in steps.

For instance, the Inuvik Regional Hospital has a teleconferencing stethoscope, eye examiner and tiny camera probe, which can be used for ear, nose and throat examinations.

Phillips said new communities could start without these items, and build up later.

"There is the option to grow as per the needs of each community."

But as technology develops and bandwidth inevitably becomes cheaper, Phillips said there's perhaps no limit to how telehealth could be used.

"If staff in the communities find they have an idea, they should call us," she said. "Telehealth in itself is an innovation, and we need to be innovative in how we use it."