Telehealth technology available for Family Doctors

Courtesy of the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice:

Long distances and challenging driving conditions can make it difficult for some patients in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region to get to their doctor’s office, so a group of physicians in the region is turning to telemedicine to ensure that their patients have consistent access to a primary care provider. The Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice and the First Nations Health Authority are working together to introduce telehealth technology making it easier for some family physicians to provide ongoing care to their patients in rural and First Nations communities.

“We know that having a primary care provider can mean better health for individuals, as well as communities,” said Health Minister Terry Lake. “And tailoring community solutions for greater accessibility to primary care especially in rural and remote locations, like the Division has done in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, strengthens our health care system as a whole.”

Telemedicine is just one of the strategies being implemented by the Central Interior Rural Division of Family Practice as part of A GP for Me. A GP for Me is a joint initiative of the Government of BC and Doctors of BC that aims to improve access to primary care across the province and help more British Columbians who want a primary care provider to find one.

“The results of a community assessment in 2014 showed that patients who are particularly vulnerable – First Nations, people with mental health challenges, and the frail elderly – are having a difficult time getting access to quality primary care,” says Dr. Bruce Nicolson, Physician Lead for the A GP for Me initiative. “We really listened to what our community members, stakeholders, physicians and health-care providers had to say and we believe our resulting programs will strengthen primary care services.”

The division’s strategies, which are being introduced this spring include:

• Improved access to primary care through Telehealth services in the Cariboo-Chilcotin, developed in partnership with the First Nations Health Authority will start with a group of six doctors using telemedicine technology to provide care to patients in rural First Nations communities. This strategy also sees the Provincial Health Services Authority and Interior Health working with family doctors to increase awareness of First Nations culture through Indigenous Cultural Competency Training.

• A program designed to help doctors keep up to date with the latest office technologies, as well as increase their awareness and knowledge of new models of health care, including
team-based care which encourages a more community-based approach to care, will help support patients while making the best use of existing capacity and services.

• A coordinator will work with key partners to help find locums and work towards ensuring patients are taken care of when a doctor takes time off or retires, and to attract new doctors to the area.

“Many of our residents live in rural or First Nations communities,” said Dr Glenn Fedor, Chair of the CIRD. “This presents unique challenges but we feel that using the latest technology, and partnering with other health and community service organizations will allow us to make a significant improvement in the level and quality of care.