July 25, 2016
Physiotherapist Keri Hodson attends to patient James Heembrock during a Telehealth session.
Story by: Janet Mezzarobba
After James Heembrock shattered his kneecap falling on the ice near his home in Okotoks in February, he knew the road to recovery would be a long and winding one.
Between surgery, overnight hospital stays, and trips from his rural home to his specialist in Calgary, the 86-year-old knew getting back on his feet would take time.
Now, a Alberta Health Services pilot project at Oilfields General Hospital in Black Diamond is helping patients like Heembrock by allowing them to stay in their rural communities while receiving videoconference care from specialists in Calgary.
“This is an amazing program,” Heembrock says. “I would have had to go back to the hospital in Calgary twice already without it. Rather than lie in bed in Calgary for the better part of a day, I can just have the appointment here, and I don’t have to travel back and forth.”
The program works through Telehealth, which allows a patient’s care team to be present during a consultation.
“Typically, we have to send someone from the family on the appointment if the patient has mobility or cognitive issues,” says Carla Ralph, Oilfield General Hospital Site Manager. “With this system, the patient has their entire care team on hand helping the patient understand what is happening throughout the appointment. It saves transportation time, and all of us can get the information we need to help a patient recover.”
The benefits of the program extend to patient’s families as well.
“It’s wonderful he can get the care he needs in one place,” says Heembrock’s wife, Stella. “We have all the information we need in one appointment and his caregivers all receive the same information. I’m very confident in the care he is receiving, and this program is part of that.”
Ralph and her team helped establish the program after patients identified a need for consultations with specialists closer to home. With many of Oilfields’ post-operative orthopedic patients being elderly, Ralph agrees the transfer to Calgary for appointment can be disruptive.
“It can be an all-day procedure in an unfamiliar area. Often when patients return, they have a tough time recalling what was said at the appointment.”
Dr. Greg Abelseth, Heembrock’s orthopedic surgeon in Calgary who consults using Telehealth, agrees the technology is patient-focused.
“The Telehealth program is an excellent way to followup with patients who live outside the city. Having the patient stay in their home hospital reduces stress and saves a lot of their time. It also eliminates tying up patient transport that may be better used for a more critical situation.”
Since the Telehealth program began in January, five patients have connected with orthopedic surgeons from Calgary and the hospital is reviewing expanding the project.
