New technology aids kids in care
A new technology is cutting down travel time for Vancouver Island families of children in intensive care.
For Cindy Dent of Duncan, the tele-pediatric intensive care service means not having to travel by helicopter with her 11-month-old son each month to see specialists in Vancouver.
The tele-PICU program, the first of its kind in Canada, allows doctors and nurses to assess children through two-way video conferencing, using highresolution cameras and digital stethoscopes.
Gabriel was born at Victoria General Hospital on Mother’s Day last year and has lived there since, with Dent moving to Jeneece Place to be near him.
On Day 55, Gabriel was diagnosed with a rare genetic neuromuscular disorder. He needs help breathing and swallowing and is unable to lift his head. The condition is so rare that he is only the third person worldwide to be diagnosed with it, Dent said.
While Victoria has many specialists, the province’s authority on neuromuscular disorders is based in Vancouver.
But travelling to Vancouver was an ordeal that required significant preparation to protect Gabriel’s life.
“There was a ton of machines to bring and they had to bring a respiratory specialist from Vancouver and fly them over here in order to fly with Gabe back. You wouldn’t want to do that on a regular basis,” Dent said.
The tele-PICU program has saved the family several trips to Vancouver — reducing costs to the system and risks to Gabe’s health.
The service is also available at Nanaimo Regional Hospital, Kootenay Boundary Regional Hospital in Trail and B.C. Children’s Hospital in Vancouver. It is part of Child Health B.C.’s Children’s Virtual Care initiative.
Lea Dobell, manager for pediatric services at Victoria General Hospital, said pediatric critical care physicians at Victoria General each have a laptop that connects with tele-PICU.
They can listen to a patient’s lungs, for example, using the telestethoscope or use the highdefinition camera to view them.
“Sometimes that might mean they don’t have to come in at all, or can give orders so nurses can do what needs to be done, while they’re on their way in,” she said. “They can’t touch and feel the patient, but in terms of listening with the stethoscope or visualizing the patient, it’s as though they’re there.”
Dr. Jeff Bishop said he used the technology on a portable tablet last week for a child who was admitted to Victoria General. Before tele-PICU, he would have received a description of the child’s vital signs from a nurse over the phone and directed care from there.
Instead, he was able to use the camera to see what was going on.
“It really makes a difference,” Bishop said.
“I was sort of skeptical at first, but what we’re seeing is that we’re physically able to see what’s happening and there’s so much input you just wouldn’t get from a telephone description.”