The doctor will see you now — remotely
For most of her career, Christine Sutch has been on the front lines working with children and youth for the justice system. But she has found that telemedicine is a place where she can help youth in a different way.
Now an intake coordinator for the Tele-Link Mental Health Program at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, also known as SickKids, Sutch manages hundreds of referrals a day.
“I clinically review all the referrals coming in and match them to the appropriate psychologists,” she says. What’s different from the normal triage process is she’s helping practitioners match up with patients in a virtual world.
Thanks to advancements in video conferencing and other communications tools, telemedicine has become a rapidly growing area of health care delivery. Today, providers from many fields — from doctors and clinicians to psychiatrists and nurses — have the ability to deliver remote support to people in need.
Sutch is one of many people who believe that telemedicine represents the future of health care. “Whether people are in urban or rural areas, they can get quicker access when there’s a telemedicine option. I absolutely love the fact that a child who needs help can actually get it in a week rather than months or years. If these kids’ needs can be met now, they might not end up in the justice system.”
David Willis, clinical manager of Tele-Link Mental Health Program at SickKids came from the front line of children’s mental health. When presented with the opportunity to lead a telemedicine initiative 10 years ago, he took the opportunity. “At the time the program was in its infancy. But the progression in technology has enabled it to grow.”
Tele- Link started out providing 300 to 400 virtual consultations a year. That number has grown to 3,000. “That’s just the telepsychiatry part,” Willis says. “If you add in other medical specialists, the number is almost 5,000 a year.”
Tele-Link is now looking to expand into regions such as Nunavut through a newly launched Connected North initiative. Team members have also worked with international partners in the Caribbean, Middle East, Africa and the Far East.
Whether caregivers provide telemedicine a few hours a week or full time, Wallis says they have one thing in common. “People who (take to telemedicine) feel a real need to help people who aren’t being served.”
Dr. Ed Brown, chief executive of Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) sees a future where 25 per cent or more of people’s interactions with the health care system will be virtual. “That could be secure messaging with a doctor, a video visit or remote monitoring. All areas of health care will be using telemedicine in some form or another.”
As such the career opportunities are plentiful and diverse, from coordination and in-home consulting assistance to infrastructure building and training. Telemedicine co-ordinators are among those in demand, Brown says.