Remote medicine gets boost

The provincial government is pumping $500,000 into expanding the use of robots that have allowed Saskatoon doctors to examine children in Pelican Narrows. Here’s why remote presence technology has been a success. Results: “The pilot has gone so well, really beyond our expectations,” said Dr. Ivar Mendez, who heads the department of surgery at the University of Saskatchewan. Most children were able to be treated in their community, while 40 per cent of those who needed to be transported didn’t have to go all the way to Saskatoon because they didn’t need intensive care. Expansion: Increased funding means services can be expanded to other underserved communities, Mendez said. “That is extremely important. Because if we, for example, are able to provide the services to five more communities, eventually those services we provide and the experience we gain will allow us to one day expand this to the whole province.” Culture: Dr. Veronica McKinney, director of northern medical services at the U of S, noted that more than 85 per cent of the population in the three northern health regions is indigenous, an area with 40,000 people in 70 communities that’s almost the size of the Yukon. Sixty-five per cent of the population has a non-English first language. “This actually changes the game dramatically. It allows people to get the care they need right where they are.” Bedside manner: The real time technology is accurate and reliable, said pediatrician Dr. Tanya Holt, who demonstrated a checkup of Pelican Narrows four-year-old Grace Dorion, who has chronic respiratory issues. Holt referred to a photo of the girl hugging the robot she appears on. “I’ve definitely developed a rapport with her to the point that sometimes when I enter a room in Pelican Narrows via the robot, I forget that I am the robot. When Gracie reached out to hug the robot it was very hard not to reach back.”