Virtual Care

When an in-person visit with a health care provider isn’t possible or even desirable, having access to virtual care can mean the difference between a patient receiving the care necessary to improve their health or dealing with the consequences of untreated ailments.

When patients and clinicians opt for virtual care, they can help prevent the spread of infections, save time and money, engage in more timely medical interventions and enjoy flexibility with regards to receiving and delivering health care. During the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care enabled patients to continue receiving the care they needed while keeping themselves and their families safe.

Virtual care can benefit a variety of patients, such as people with mobility issues, residents living in remote areas and busy parents and workers who want the convenience of connecting through their device (possibly avoiding child care services or time off work, as a result).

Considering the benefits, it’s no surprise that the adoption of virtual care solutions and services is growing across Canada’s entire health system.

Telehomecare, or remote patient monitoring (RPM), enables health care providers to electronically monitor patients’ outside of conventional clinical settings, such as in the home.

Through telehomecare, patients with chronic conditions — such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure or diabetes — can become active participants in the management of their health with easy-to-use digital health technology in their homes and by remotely connecting with health care professionals who help them monitor and manage their condition. Through close monitoring and coaching, patients can address issues before they become critical, enabling them to avoid hospital stays and trips to the emergency room. Remote patient monitoring improves access to care and decreases health care delivery costs.

The ability to send and receive prescriptions virtually is an important part of a clinician’s virtual toolkit. PrescribeIT^®, Canada’s not-for-profit e-prescribing service, enables prescribers to electronically transmit prescriptions as data directly from their electronic medical record into a pharmacy’s management system, removing the need for faxed and paper prescriptions. PrescribeIT^® also includes clinical communications, eliminating the need for fax and phone tag.