Inuvik - It might seem hard to believe, but the Inuvik Regional Hospital has been using videoconferencing services for 10 years.

Telehealth co-ordinator Victoria Phillips said some people still don't know about it.

Victoria Phillips said the Inuvik Regional Hospital has been working with telehealth for 10 years. While the technology is gaining new appreciation, some people still confuse "telehealth" with telephone care. - Philippe Morin/NNSL photo

"We get a lot of people who confuse it with telecare," she said, referring to the phone line patients can call for medical information.

Some patients in Inuvik are brought to a room which has a camera and a television.

The system is connected via special cable broadband to the offices of speech therapists, counsellors and a host of other professionals in the south.

With the help of someone in Inuvik, the southern professional can examine the patient.

One example is when a nurse puts a small camera in someone's ear.

Phillips said some people in Inuvik also get fitted for wheelchair accessories, which are then custom-built by a company in Edmonton.

"They talk and we use the cameras," she explained.

"We can take measurements and zoom in on certain parts of the body."

The alternative, she added, is to have a wheelchair-using patient flown to Yellowknife - which would mean airfare, hotel fare, food, and a host of other expenses.

"It's so remarkable how much it's changed. The more we use it, the more innovative we become. We're finding more things we can do," she said.

In early November, Phillips represented Inuvik at a national telehealth conference in Newfoundland.

She said the system is used in remote parts of Canada and the North could lead by example.

"It's becoming integrated (into the hospital's regular operations) and that's what we've been working towards for so many years," she said.