Health News For South West
Monday, November 02, 2015
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance
Personal Videoconferencing Introduced to Dialysis Patients at HPHA
The Dialysis Unit at the Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance (HPHA) – Stratford General Hospital Site is one of eight satellite units within the London Health Sciences (LHSC) Regional Renal Program. This partnership provides dialysis treatment for patients closer to home. In some cases, travel time is reduced from over three hours to 20 minutes which can significantly impact quality of life for patients who receive dialysis treatment three times a week for four hours each treatment. Patients often comment that receiving care closer to home greatly reduces the stress of travel in managing their health care needs.
While the benefits of receiving care close to home are many, there is the challenge of providing a strong connection with the team in London.
“Nephrologists, physicians who deal with the diagnosis and management of kidney disease, and Nurse Practitioners from London provide support for our patients’ medical concerns by visiting our unit once a month,” says Bonita Thompson, Manager, Medicine/ISU, Dialysis & Medical Clinics. “The Regional Renal Program also provides support from London from Allied Health Professionals such as Social Workers and Dietitians but unfortunately this type of support was limited to a yearly face-to-face visit and telephone support.”
Social Workers assist dialysis patients in coping with and adjusting to the life changes associated with kidney disease. Dietitians also support patients through nutritional education, consulting with patients about what to eat based on results of their lab work and providing them with strategies to eat as healthy as possible.
In an effort to improve the support provided by both Social Workers and Dietitians, the Regional Renal Program has recently introduced personal videoconferencing (PCVC) to the patients at six of the eight satellite units, including the Stratford Unit.
“Now our patients can connect face-to-face with their Social Worker or Dietitian whenever needed while receiving their dialysis treatment through the Ontario Telemedicine Network using an iPad,” states Thompson. “Staff on the unit have received training and have commented on how user-friendly and patient-focused it is.”
Bev Smyth, a patient on the unit sums it up nicely, “I like using the iPad,” she says. “It’s better than the telephone because you can see their face.”
“It’s this face-to-face communication that keeps the patient alert and engaged,” adds Thompson. “This in turn is creating a much stronger relationship with our patients and partners in London.”
Media Contact:
Bonita Thompson
Manager, Medicine/ISU, Dialysis & Medical Clinics
519-272-8210, ext 2706
bonita.thompson@hpha.ca
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