Title:	TELEHOMECARE: A CARE SOLUTUION FOR HEART FAILURE PATIENTS OF NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO
Author(s):	Gwen Third, Dona Ree, Zaki Ahmed
ISBN:	978-972-8939-82-3
Editors:	Piet Kommers and Pedro Isaías
Year:	2013
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Access, Technology, Partnership, Cost-effectiveness, Regional
Type:	Short Paper
First Page:	396
Last Page:	400
Language:	English
Cover:
Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	Northwestern Ontario (NWO), Canada is a geographical region with a landmass equivalent to the country of France. The region is comprised of approximately 250,000 residents with 50% residing in sparsely populated rural areas, each challenged by limited professional resources to provide health-based programs for their residents. Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Centre (TBRHSC) serves as the sole acute care referral center within this region. In 2003 the Northwestern Ontario District Health Council (NWODHC) identified inequities in the delivery of Cardiac Services in NWO with many of these issues remaining unresolved. In response to ongoing bed utilization challenges specifically related to the Cardiology services at TBRHSC, a detailed review of health records data was completed in 2010 to determine potential target patient groupings. The data clearly identified resource utilization concerns related to provision of care for patients admitted with Heart Failure with readmission rates well above the provincial average but also a significant number of cases experiencing extended length of stays. Given the prevalence of cardiac disease throughout NWO, it was imperative that a cost-effective means of ensuring a regional approach to this issue be implemented, with all providers having access for their patients. TBRHSC partnered with the Northwest Local Health Integration Network (NWLHIN) and the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) in the spring of 2011 to introduce utilization of a remote home monitoring solution, Telehomecare, with the focus on deferring patient admission and / or to facilitate a shorter length of patient stay. Through the use of this technology we have provided access within the region to a specialized program that is in the early stages of implementation and is impacting acute care resource utilization with potential to improve quality of life, caregiver burden and patient/family satisfaction.
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