Information for professionals
During implementation of Telemedicine at SickKids, special attention was given to mirror routine clinical practice. Existing referral patterns are honored. Patients continue to be referred to their usual referral centre or specialist that is situated closest to their community. When an appropriate specialist is not available, the patients are referred to SickKids. To assist the clinicians in diagnosis and management of their patients, medical peripheral devices are available at most of the referring sites. These devices include a patient exam camera, electronic otoscope and electronic stethoscope. Telemedicine coordinators working in the referring sites are familiar with the use of the technology for patient assessment and are instrumental in providing the human touch needed during a clinic visit.
Professional education and training have become an integral part of the SickKids Telemedicine Program. Clinicians can meet regularly for a variety of educational activities, including broadcasting rounds, journal clubs and case presentations to colleagues. The real advantage of using videoconferencing for education is that entire programs and multi-disciplinary teams from different institutions can participate in a single event.
With each new step forward, the opportunities for the use of telemedicine appear to become even more far-reaching. Telemedicine program staff would like to encourage all health care providers to review traditional methods of providing health-care services and to explore new options for care delivery and information exchange.
This section contains information on the following: clinical consultations, clinical referral form, tele-education, and telemedicine site locations.