Southlake News
Earlier this week, Southlake Regional Health Centre welcomed Kim Baker, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Local Health Integration Network (LHIN), who was looking to learn more about the Hospital's new Telehomecare Program – an initiative that is having positive and lasting impacts on the lives of patients suffering from serious and life-altering health conditions, including heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Launched in the fall of 2013, and funded through Health Links, Southlake was the first hospital within the Central LHIN to introduce Telehomecare, providing its patients with the care, monitoring and education they need to self-manage their conditions from the comfort of their homes.
“As the host organization for the South Simcoe and Northern York Region Health Link, Southlake has taken a leadership role in implementing Telehomecare in Central LHIN,” said Baker. “This successful program is based on at-home monitoring and self-management, which leads to early intervention when necessary, and reduces the number of emergency department visits. We are now exploring the option of expanding Telehomecare in our LHIN.”
Through Telehomecare, patients use simple equipment, such as a weigh scale and oxygen monitor, to check their vital signs daily, including blood pressure, weight, heart rate and oxygen saturation levels. This information is then transmitted wirelessly to a team of specially trained nurses and respiratory therapists at Southlake who look for trends and health indicators that could be cause for concern. This information is then shared with the patient's physician, allowing for early intervention to avoid unnecessary hospital admission.
According to Mary Bayliss, Manager of Respiratory Therapy and Telehomecare at Southlake, in addition to the daily home monitoring, the Telehomecare team connects with patients by phone on a weekly basis to promote healthy behaviours.
”Telehomecare isn't just about monitoring important health information,” said Bayliss. “It's about encouraging our patients to be proactive, and empowering them to take control of their health.”
Close to 90 per cent of Ontarians over the age of 65 have at least one chronic condition. The economic impact of chronic disease is estimated to be 55 per cent of total health care costs, and the burden of chronic disease is growing. In 2011, only about 15 per cent of our population was over 65, and by 2036, it is expected that seniors will comprise 25 per cent of our population.
Piloted by the Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) in 2007, Telehomecare began rolling out across Ontario last year. OTN designed the program, provides infrastructure and trains the nurses and respiratory therapists who monitor patient results and provide health coaching.
Data from one of the early adopters of Telehomecare indicates a reduction of 43 per cent in Emergency Room visits and 71 per cent in in-patient admissions by shifting the focus from acute care to preventative care and self-management of chronic disease.
Telehomecare at Southlake is provided free-of-charge for a six-month enrollment period to residents in the catchment areas of Southlake and Stevenson Memorial Hospital, including Newmarket, Aurora, Georgina, Bradford West Gwillimbury, East Gwillimbury, and New Tecumseth.