Virtual care and the pandemic
Receiving the right care at the right time on the right device – meeting with your doctor over your smart phone or computer became a reality during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Pre-pandemic, virtual care was essentially the TeleHealth program. Patients would visit a facility to see a physician over the TeleHealth system, with the physician at another TeleHealth station in another facility in the province.
“Once the pandemic hit, that model no longer worked as the goal was to reduce the risk for patients and staff within our facilities wherever possible,” noted Amanda Pangman, director of Virtual Care for the SHA. “So we ramped up the rollout of a software-based solution.”
Soon, more than 3,500 health-care providers were offering virtual visits over the Pexip system, which allowed secure, private meetings between providers and patients. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of virtual visits over Pexip has surpassed 735,000 provincially.
Remote patient monitoring also began during the pandemic using specialized systems that allowed health-care providers to track patients’ vital signs and general health while they are at home. More than 6,100 COVID-19-positive patients were monitored this way while they were isolating.
“Providers were able to see instantly how patients were doing and if they needed further care,” Pangman noted.
Also rolled out during the pandemic was the virtual triage physician program, offered through HealthLine 811. By being able to speak to a physician through HealthLine, about 67 per cent of callers who otherwise may have been told to see a doctor immediately were served, noted Dr. Vern Behl, an emergency room physician in Saskatoon and Senior Medical Information Officer for Digital Health.
Due to the pilot nature of this program, the virtual triage physician program ended as of March 31, 2022; however, a model similar to this will be part of the upcoming Virtual Care Network plan.
“These virtual services are really about increasing capacity in our health-care system,” Behl said. “It’s about getting care closer to home, and meeting the patient’s needs where and when they occur, instead of in a physical location.”
Virtual care is developing quickly as an option in Saskatchewan.
“You can grow wheat in Saskatchewan with some seeds, a hoe and sickle, but when you add technology, you can do it better. Right now, virtual care here is good, but it’s early,” Behl noted. “We’re not up to GPS combines yet. But with the right infrastructure, we could get there.”
It equalizes patient care, Pangman added.
“Virtual care right now serves all 1.2 million people in the province equally and efficiently – it doesn’t matter where you live.”
Patients are able to access virtual care through participating health-care providers.
