Canadian Healthcare Technology Logo
  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us

GE Revolution Ascend

GE Revolution Ascend

Enovacom EPC

Enovacom EPC

Telehealth

Project to implement virtual care in LTC homes

August 5, 2020


Carrie HeerGUELPH, Ont. – COVID-19 has presented a unique challenge for long-term care and retirement homes. As a leader in specialized geriatric services, St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph (SJHCG) is leading a project to implement virtual care in long-term care (LTC) and retirement homes across the Waterloo Wellington region.

Infection prevention and control measures necessary to contain and prevent the spread of the virus in long-term care and retirement homes, includes reducing the number of people coming and going from the home. This may also reduce the on-site presence of physicians or nurse practitioners (NPs) who have been reserving those face-to-face visits for urgent situations.

A solution to this problem is virtual care, which enables physicians and nurse practitioners to continue providing advice and support for residents in long-term care and retirement homes while working off site. Virtual care leverages technology to provide optimal care using chat, audio and/or video.

Working with the eHealth Centre of Excellence (eCE) and the Waterloo Wellington Local Health Integration Network (WWLHIN), St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph’s Nurse-Led Outreach Team (NLOT) and Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO) programs have partnered together to support the implementation of virtual care in both LTC and retirement homes across Guelph, Wellington, Kitchener- Waterloo and Cambridge.

“Arriving at this juncture has entailed months of hard work for our teams, including understanding and appreciating the ever-shifting landscape, the needs of the homes, and barriers and challenges to adopting virtual care,” said Carrie Heer (pictured), nurse practitioner coordinator and clinical lead of the Nurse-Led Outreach Team. “As a clinical leader and direct front line provider, it is imperative that care teams have the tools that will help them provide the very best care.”

The project aims to prevent the need for residents of long-term care and retirement homes to be transferred to the emergency department or admitted to hospital by increasing access to MDs, NPs, emergency and specialist care through virtual care technology. For those residents who need to be admitted to hospital, the aim is to reduce the number of days they are in hospital and help them get home sooner by enabling the right care at home.

Virtual care benefits residents in other ways too. Technology enables the St. Joseph’s Health Centre Guelph teams to share their expertise and build staff knowledge and skill in the homes.

The Nurse-Led Outreach Team routinely supports long-term care homes by strengthening nursing capacity in the homes while providing urgent or emergency care to residents that is collaborative, evidence-based and resident-centred. The Behavioural Support Ontario team, hosted by St. Joseph’s also supports long-term care and retirement homes through education and clinical management for individuals with responsive behaviours.

The Nurse-Led Outreach Team has provided education, coaching, and mentoring to all 36 long-term care homes across the region, as well as offering educational support on infection prevention and control practices to all 52 retirement homes in Waterloo Wellington since the start of the pandemic.

As the St. Joseph’s teams assist homes during COVID-19, they are facilitating the rapid adoption and evaluation of virtual care through a three-month study of up to 10 LTC and 10 retirement homes. The data that will be collected through this study offers vital insights into the needs of long-term care and retirement homes and how best to support them through the pandemic and beyond.

“We have a small window of opportunity to implement virtual care before we experience a projected second wave of COVID-19 and seasonal influenza in the fall,” explained Ms. Heer. “This research is among the first projects in the province and is expected to provide data to inform solutions for delivering care that is effective, safe and resident-centred.”

PreviousNext

SteraMist (Feb)

SteraMist (Feb)

News and Trends

  • RACE streamlines patient journey
  • Healthcare supply chain needs a re-think, observers say
  • EDI spots pricing anomalies in Ontario’s healthcare supply chain
  • AI centres of excellence and companies collaborate on apps
  • Talking Stick: New hope for Indigenous mental healthcare
More from the Print Edition

Subscribe

Subscribe

Free of charge to Canadian hospital managers and executives in nursing homes and home-care organizations. Learn More

Follow us on Social Media!

Follow us on Social Media!

Nihi Data [Winter 2023]

Nihi Data [Winter 2023]

WP

WP

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra One Cloud

Sectra One Cloud

Change Healthcare [2]

Change Healthcare [2]

Infoway [Feb2023]

Infoway [Feb2023]

Zebra

Zebra

CHT print-200×400

CHT print-200x400

SteraMist (Feb)

SteraMist (Feb)

Advertise with us

Advertise with us

Sectra One Cloud

Sectra One Cloud

Change Healthcare [2]

Change Healthcare [2]

Infoway [Feb2023]

Infoway [Feb2023]

Zebra

Zebra

CHT print-200×400

CHT print-200x400

Contact Us

Canadian Healthcare Technology
1118 Centre Street, Suite 207
Thornhill, Ontario, Canada L4J 7R9
Tel: 905-709-2330
Fax: 905-709-2258
info2@canhealth.com

  • Quick Links
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
    • Events
    • Vendors
    • About Us
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Resources
    • White Papers
    • Writers’ Guidelines
    • Privacy Policy
  • Topics
    • Administrative Solutions
    • Clinical Solutions
    • Companies
    • Continuing Care
    • Diagnostics
    • Education & Training
  •  
    • Electronic Records
    • Government & Policy
    • Infrastructure
    • Innovation
    • People
    • Privacy and Security

© 2023 Canadian Healthcare Technology

The content of Canadian Healthcare Technology is subject to copyright. Reproduction in whole or in part without prior written permission is strictly prohibited. Send all requests for permission to Jerry Zeidenberg, Publisher.

Search Site

Error: Enter a search term

  • Issues
    • Current Print Issue
    • Print Archive
  • Advertise
    • Publishing Schedule
    • Circulation
    • Unit Sizes and Rates
    • Mechanical Requirements
    • Electronic Advertising
    • White Papers
  • Subscribe
    • Print Edition
    • e-Messenger
    • White Papers
  • Events
  • Vendors
  • About Us