In my previous article I talked about how information technology (IT) allows local businesses to bypass our geographical isolation and reach international markets, thus creating opportunities for growth and job creation. The positive impact of IT can also be felt in the health care sector where our remoteness creates major problems in attracting and keeping doctors. The application of this technology in all facets of health care can not only alleviate the shortage of doctors/specialists but can also create opportunities for young people to work in the IT industry that I see emerging in Northwestern Ontario.

The healthcare community has been involved in several important and high profile information technology projects for some time. One such project is the Health Information Management System, a joint venture of Thunder Bay Regional Hospital and St. Joseph’s Care Group. The objective of this project is to create a database of information (Electronic Medical Record) regarding each patient that can be shared and made available to any hospital, medical clinics, private practitioners, and other partner institutions in the region.

Another project that is currently being deployed is the Regional Oncology Program Extranet. This project is helping cancer care regional facilities deliver chemotherapy treatments to patients, relieving them of the burden to travel to Thunder Bay during the treatment phase of the program. Further enhancements in technology will allow regional providers to deliver cancer care as though they were working in the Cancer Centre itself.

The 807 Teleradiology Project proposes to link regional treatment centres with Thunder Bay and one another to allow the electronic transmission of x-rays. Once the project moves ahead, multipurpose Telehealth workstations will allow instantaneous consultations in emergency cases, reduce the turnaround time on all consultations, increase the availability of x-rays and reports for the entire region, and allow easy access to diagnostic consultants anywhere, not just locally. Anyone, who ever had to wait for x-rays to get from one doctor’s office to another, will appreciate what is happening here in terms of major improvements to the present system.

Teleconferencing also has tremendous potential to alleviate the shortage of specialists in the region. This technology has already been used successfully to train young physicians at locations throughout Northwestern Ontario under the Family Medicine North medical residency training program. Over the last four years it has also been used for to connect to Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital. Three half days at week, a video conference call is placed connecting children’s families from the region, (who would normally have to travel to Toronto) and staff members at Health Science North to a specialist in Toronto. Some of the conditions that have been discussed in these appointments include Oncology, Cystic Fibrosis, and Cerebral Palsy.

Further advancements in this technology will allow full motion video conferencing and the possibility of remote psychiatric counseling. A pilot project is already taking place in the province of Alberta and the results so far have been excellent. In conclusion, with caseloads increasing and resources shrinking, the use of information technology and the sharing of medical information on a real-time basis will greatly improve efficiencies and enhance patient care.