Start Your Search
Rashmi Bhide
Author of
-
EP06 - Adoption and Use Across the Care Continuum (ID 46)
- Event: e-Health 2017 Virtual Meeting
- Type: e-Poster
- Track: Clinical and Executive
- Presentations: 1
- Coordinates: 6/06/2017, 09:30 AM - 10:30 AM, Exhibit Hall B - Station 2
-
EP06.01 - From Adoption to Integration – Success Story in a Telemedicine Program (ID 329)
- Abstract
Purpose/Objectives: The Telemedicine Program at St. Michaels Hospital (SMH) functions on the mandate: To increase access to healthcare services and resources by supporting the adoption of telemedicine technologies. During initial years of its existence, telemedicine was somewhat of a novelty, appealing to early adopters who were open to use of technology in order to help increase access to their patients, who lived at a distance. In 2011, the Telemedicine Program at SMH employed specific adoption and integration strategies based on needs assessment and customization, with an ultimate aim to integrate and embed telemedicine in routine patient care practice. The Telemedicine Program at SMH is viewed as a strategic enabler that can support improved access to care while making delivery of health care efficient and cost effective. The telemedicine adoption and integration strategies, support our hospitals quality agenda in the areas of access, efficiency and patient experience as outlined in the Hospitals strategic plan.
Methodology/Approach: Recognizing the fact that introduction of telemedicine in a clinic environment means significant changes in otherwise well-established routines and processes, the adoption strategies focused mainly on clinicians readiness assessment, change management and ensuring simple and easy-to-follow new processes, to minimize disruption of routines. Detailed telemedicine clinical protocols are developed in collaboration with the providers to ensure an efficient and smooth telemedicine clinic, providing a seamless experience for clinical providers. Depending on need, new users are also given a trial run through a simulated clinic to address any concerns and to familiarize the users to technology. These initiatives were initially implemented in departments of General Surgery, Respirology, Mental Health, Geriatrics and Trauma. The increased clinical activity in these areas reinforced our standard approach to drive adoption in other clinical services. In a study conducted by a medical student at SMH, location of the telemedicine studios; disruption in the daily routine were identified as limiting factors for uptake of telemedicine. As a way of addressing the limiting factors, SMH Telemedicine Program implemented desktop videoconferencing solution PCVC (Personal Computer VideoConferencing) in physicians offices. Again, the introduction and integration of PCVC in clinicians offices followed the same philosophical approach for adoption.
Finding/Results: The impact is measured qualitatively by surveying users (clinicians & support staff), and quantitatively by number of providers using telemedicine to provide care for their patients and by telemedicine clinical activity numbers. The overall clinical activity numbers and number of clinical providers have doubled in years since the adoption and introduction strategies were introduced. Both qualitative and quantitative results will be shown on the poster for the conference.
Conclusion/Implications/Recommendations: These early results indicate that the SMH Telemedicine Programs adoption and integration strategies have enabled the program to demonstrate its potential as an enabler to address the issue of access, efficiency and sustainability. The adoption and integration strategies developed and implemented, with a focus on ease of use, by SMH Telemedicine Program, can help create a framework for approach to promote clinician acceptance and integration of telemedicine in delivery of healthcare.
140 Character Summary: This poster presentation will describe adoption and integration strategies implemented at a large academic health center.
-
OS24 - Evolving Approaches to Patient Care (ID 29)
- Event: e-Health 2017 Virtual Meeting
- Type: Oral Session
- Track: Clinical and Executive
- Presentations: 1
- Coordinates: 6/07/2017, 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM, Room 201CD
-
OS24.05 - Achieving Quality in a Telemedicine Program – Engaging Referring Physicians (ID 347)
- Abstract
Purpose/Objectives: The Excellent Care for All Act formalized the quality improvement activities of all the hospitals. At St. Michaels Hospital (SMH) continuous quality improvement that focuses on patients has been an integral part of its rich history of providing excellent and compassionate care. In alignment with St. Michaels Hospitals culture of quality improvement the Telemedicine Program strives to implement at least one quality improvement initiative each quarter. This poster will demonstrate a Telemedicine Programs quality improvement initiative focusing on access to specialty care. SMH Telemedicine Program initiated the Respirology Telemedicine Clinic services in 2011 in response to referrals received from physicians in remote Ontario communities. The SMH Respirology telemedicine clinic provides consultation for a broad range of respiratory conditions such as COPD, interstitial lung disease, pulmonary nodules, and asthma. The SMH Telemedicine Program is now interested in knowing if the needs of the referring physicians are being met. The aim is to understand how the SMH Respirology telemedicine service is impacting the referring physicians daily practice. More specifically- does telemedicine affect their workflow and how they manage their patients respiratory conditions? Further, we want to assess the extent of impact of Respirology Telemedicine clinic services, which in turn will guide our efforts to provide the best possible services.
Methodology/Approach: In the past 5 years the Respirology Telemedicine Clinic has received referrals from over 30 Physicians from various communities across Ontario. To assess the efficiency and overall satisfaction with the service, the Respirology Telemedicine Clinic Referring Physician Survey was developed. All the physicians who had referred patients to the Respirology Telemedicine Clinic during the past 5 years were invited to participate in the survey.
Finding/Results: At the time of submitting this abstract the results from the surveys are still being collected. The analysis of the survey results will be available for the poster.
Conclusion/Implications/Recommendations: The SMH Telemedicine Programs initiative to engage with the referring physicians is in alignment with St. Michaels Hospitals commitment to continuous quality improvement. The Respirology Telemedicine Clinic Referring Physician survey results will provide us the referring physicians perspective and will help us to make improvements to our services. The SMH Telemedicine Program plans to roll out this quality improvement initiative in other programs like Geriatrics, Vascular Surgery etc. in the following year.
140 Character Summary: This poster presentation will describe a quality improvement initiative by a telemedicine clinic in a large academic health center.
