0073 - Telehealth: A world to discover and to share
Course Description
The goal is the same everywhere in the country: for the Canadian population to have access, anywhere and at any time, to high-quality healthcare. A more effective use of information and communication technologies in the delivery of healthcare is a strategic issue.
Telehealth offers multiple advantages for patients and their loved ones as well as for professionals. It is an effective way to reduce travel for patients, their families, and healthcare specialists.
A program specially designed for healthcare professionals
This professional development program aims to provide health professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary for the use of telehealth.
The target audience for this training program is healthcare professionals, including physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, licensed practical nurses, and any other healthcare providers who must use information and communication technologies in the delivery of care.
7 good reasons to follow this program
- To know the origin of telehealth.
- To acquire or update technological knowledge related to telehealth.
- To know the practices that can promote access to healthcare for people living in remote areas.
- To learn strategies to encourage networking, sharing of resources, and information between various sectors.
- To assist in the development of telehealth services for clinical, educational, and administrative purposes.
- To discover trends in telehealth.
- To obtain continuing education units (CEU).
Delivery method
The Telehealth program is a fully online, self-supporting training program that is flexible and accessible.
Each module includes a multiple-choice evaluation. A team of supervisors is at your disposal to help you technically.
Once you have access to one of the modules, you have two months to complete it. For each module, we estimate that it takes 10 hours to read the online sections and complete the assessments.
Module 1 - Introduction to Telehealth
This introductory module is the first of a series of more specific themes on the use of telehealth. This module includes concrete examples and testimonials from the Vitalité Health Network of New Brunswick and the Réseaux universitaires intégrés de santé McGill (RUIS), in collaboration with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of Québec’s James Bay.
This telehealth professional development module is designed for health professionals who wish to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to master telehealth.
| INTRODUCTION TO TELEHEALTH | ||||
| Section 1 Introduction to Telehealth: Definitions, History and Future Trends |
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| As healthcare professionals, it is our collective responsibility to find ways to improve services offered to patients within our care. As technology evolves and becomes more readily available, its use is more than just a luxury; it becomes an obligation within the context of our professional duty to offer care that meets population needs, while maximizing our use of the limited pot of available resources to provide public healthcare services. This first section introduces you to the world of telehealth and provides a general overview of the various modalities of telehealth services.nd tips that can come in handy and lead you in the right direction. | ||||
| Section 2 Telehealth Services for Clinical, Educational and Administrative Purposes |
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| With the advances in Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), telehealth/telemedicine services have become a feasible alternative to traditional in-person healthcare services. In its early development, telemedicine focused primarily on promoting access to rural populations, yet quickly clinicians discovered that many of these services were also pertinent to local populations, making their care more efficient and patient-centered. Despite its obvious potential to maintain health and improving access to care, etc., its growth has been rather stinted over time with only few people and healthcare professionals being informed of the many possibilities of telemedicine. This section provides a brief description of the use of videoconferencing and store-and-forward technology for clinical, educational and administrative purposes in healthcare. Examples will be provided of the use of these services in medicine, nursing and other allied healthcare professions. | ||||
| Section 3 Implementing and Conducting Telehealth Services and Related Common Challenges |
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| The delivery of telehealth services requires careful planning before one can implement and conduct healthcare remotely. Generally speaking, people tend to think that having the right equipment make telehealth possible without taking into consideration all of the steps that are required and the challenges inherent to this mode of care delivery. While not all challenges can be avoided, as they say, ‘forewarned is forearmed’. This section offers a 9 step systematic approach to implementation and a list of common technological, financial and human factor challenges. | ||||
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Section 4 |
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| A sine qua non to the growth of telehealth services is the development of country wide, or province wide telehealth networks; a trend which has been increasing in the recent decade because of the many benefits and opportunities it offers. These networks, which are usually supported and promoted by local or federal governments, have the potential to deliver a multitude of telehealth services to accommodate the healthcare needs of a given population and furthermore, this telehealth equipment can be used to support the practice of healthcare professionals, for administrative and educational purposes. At the core of these networks is typically a centralized hub of telehealth expertise, from a technical, clinical, management, etc. perspective, that coordinate operations and create connections with remote sites, near or far. The growth in the number of telehealth networks worldwide is a testament to the effectiveness of such care delivery models. This section showcases two Canadian and one international examples of telehealth networks. | ||||
Module 2 - Telemedecine consultation by videoconferencing
This module ‘Telemedecine consultation by videoconferencing’ is the second of a series of more specific themes on the use of telehealth. This module includes concrete examples and testimonials from the Vitalité Health Network of New Brunswick and the Réseaux universitaires intégrés de santé McGill (RUIS), in collaboration with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of Québec’s James Bay.
This telehealth professional development module is designed for health professionals who wish to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to master telehealth.
| TELEMEDECINE CONSULTATION BY VIDEOCONFERENCING | ||||
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Section 1 The Use of Videoconferencing Technology to Provide Clinical Telemedicine Consultations |
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| The use of videoconferencing (VC) technology to provide clinical consultations remotely is rapidly increasing across Canada; however, one must understand the functionality of these services and networks before embarking on the development of these services through your institution. This section will guide you, by way of example, on the creation and integration of a hub-and-spoke telestroke model, which can be used to frame your services, regardless of the teleconsultation offering you have in mind. In addition, an example of a clinical case discussion using VC between experts, is provided. Planning a new telemedicine service starts with giving thought to required infrastructure and room design. Overall, the organization of VC telemedicine services can be intimidating when starting from scratch. Fortunately, some administrators and clinicians have shared a number of ‘lessons learned’ and tips that can come in handy and lead you in the right direction. | ||||
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Section 2 The Steps Involved in Implementing Videoconferencing Telemedicine Services |
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| Oftentimes, when tasked with the implementation of VC telemedicine services within an organization, clinicians and/or managers do not know where to start and often develop a trial-and-error approach in the face of this challenge. Implementing such services requires careful planning, ongoing assessment of what is working, and what is not for the purpose of rapid intervention or modification. We recommend a much more thoughtful approach, which will take into consideration recommendations from the literature to maximize on ‘lessons learned’ by other organizations. Therefore, this section describes, using a 9-step approach, how an organization can plan and implement their VC telemedicine services, with long-term success and sustainability in mind. | ||||
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Section 3 The Protocols when Providing Telemedicine Services |
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| As technology is increasingly integrated in our respective healthcare systems worldwide and the provision of quality healthcare is generally the expected norm, it becomes essential that these virtual interactions are conducted in a standardized way and are comparable to in-person consultations. Moreover, it is important that organizations develop specific operational protocols and training material tailored to their organization in order to promote a standardized approach for the provision of VC telemedicine services. As such, this section will focus on the importance of having these protocols in place to foster successful implementation of VC telemedicine services or a program. | ||||
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Section 4 The Evaluation of Videoconferencing Telemedicine Services |
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| When implementing a new telemedicine service or enlarging an existing portfolio of telemedicine activities, it is essential to ensure that the services you are providing are meeting the needs that they are intended to meet. A rigorous evaluation is therefore essential to making this determination. They ensure accountability for the quality and pertinence of services and need to be thoughtfully planned out, rather than simply an afterthought as is unfortunately, as is often the case. This section will provide you with concrete instruction on how to conduct such an evaluation. | ||||
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Section 5 The Videoconferencing Telemedicine Services In the Cree Community In Northern Quebec |
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| In Eeyou Istchee, the distances are great and there is limited access to specialists like ophthalmologists, obstetricians, cardiologists, and psychiatrists. The access to these services is available through specialists’ visits on the territory, through telehealth or by sending the clients to a hospital in Abitibi-Temiscamingue, Chibougamau or Montreal. Today Cree patients residing in the nine communities in northern Quebec can connect with some of their specialists remotely using videoconferencing technology. This section explains how the Cree Telehealth Team has organized these services for the clients to increase access to care, improve the quality of care and reduce the cost and time for patients, their families, and healthcare providers. | ||||
Notes
Certificate of Success and CEU
Each module in the program leads to a certificate of completion and continuing education units (CEUs). To receive the certificate of achievement and CEUs, the participant must demonstrate that he or she has met the learning objectives by successfully completing the module's assessment tests.
It is the participant's responsibility to see if the CEUs can be recognized by their employer or professional association.
The Université de Moncton Continuing Education (Formation continue) is a member of the “Société de formation et d’éducation continue” or the Society for Continuing Education and Training (SOFEDUC). Founded in 1988, SOFEDUC’s mandate is to certify organizations that can offer continuing education units within non-credit continuing education activities that meet high quality standards.