Shirley Maki’s palmoplantar psoriasis became so painful last winter that she eventually had to take medical leave. She had an appointment with a dermatologist, but it took over six months to get in – Shirley had to stop work long before then. Going away for treatment wasn’t really an option in this case either since there is a shortage of dermatologists all over Ontario.
But Shirley was able to get treatment much, much faster thanks to a new Teledermatology Program at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre offered through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN). Shirley, herself an OR nurse at the Health Sciences Centre, first heard about the Teledermatology Program from a fellow nurse.
“My GP didn’t actually know about telederm,” Shirley said. “So, I told her about it and she filled out the paperwork immediately. I had my appointment the same day that Carrie (Haugenes, a Registered Nurse with the Teledermatology Program) called me.”
Telemedicine has been a tremendous help to patients in general. Thanks to this technology, patients referred to specialists outside of their home community can “see” them via videoconference, saving the time and expense of travelling for a 15-minute appointment.
In the case of dermatology patients, Telemedicine is proving to be even more helpful, reducing wait times dramatically from months to usually within five days. In some instances, results are returned overnight. Obviously, that’s important for life-threatening conditions such as skin cancer. For patients with other painful skin conditions, the wait can literally be excruciating.
Shirley said that the new Teledermatology Program was easy to access – and very fast.
“It was great! Carrie took some pictures on a Friday and she got the results back the following Monday, which she faxed over to my GP,” she said. That meant Shirley could start treatment right away, providing relief for her symptoms. She kept her appointment to see Dr. John Kraft with the travelling clinic, which became almost a follow-up appointment. He was able to change Shirley’s treatment a bit to reduce side effects.
Teledermatology will never replace face-to-face visits with a dermatologist. However, once a condition has been diagnosed by a dermatologist, many patients can be treated by their own family physicians. This reduces the workload on dermatologists in Ontario and ultimately improves patient care. If it turns out patients need more specialized care, they can continue to see their dermatologist directly.
“The dermatologists are very good about attaching additional information about the skin condition and the medication they are recommending so that the referring doctor and the patient both have plenty of resources for the best treatment possible,” Haugenes said.
Physicians and patients can find out more about the Teledermatology Program by contacting the Telemedicine Department directly at (807) 684-6711.
Technology is connecting us more than ever – and that’s a good thing when it comes to health care. It means faster, better care for our patients and helping us overcome geographical barriers to care, among other challenges.
The Teledermatology Program through the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) is a great case in point. The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre’s Telemedicine Department launched access to the program earlier this year, helping patients with severe skin conditions get specialist help faster. Previously, it would take six months or more to get an appointment with a dermatologist anywhere in Ontario. But thanks to the Teledermatology Program, doctors can get results back for their patients within a week – and sometimes as fast as overnight.
That’s because the technology is actually changing the way doctors review patient files. Now, a Registered Nurse with the program in Thunder Bay takes pictures of the patient’s skin condition with a digital camera, asks a list of pre-determined questions, and sends the information to the dermatologists with the Teledermatology program. This saves the dermatologists a lot of time, which means they can evaluate more patients faster.
(Incidentally, any clinic or doctor’s office can access the OTN’s Teledermatology program through Telemedicine – all they need is a digital camera.)
After the dermatologist makes a provisional diagnosis, most skin conditions can be treated with the oversight of a family physician. The dermatologist’s report includes current recommendations and a working plan for the referring physician/nurse practitioner to follow with their patients. Dermatologists with the program will take on those patients who do require more extensive care.
Overall, the use of this technology significantly reduces their workload, leading to faster, better care for our patients.
Find out more: http://bit.ly/2aBuM0x
