Wednesday, February 01, 2012
Diabetes Educators and OTN – What A Team!
Diabetes Educators who are part of the Renfrew County Diabetes Education
Providers Network have formed an enthusiastic partnership with the Ontario
Telemedicine Network (OTN).
The OTN provides a full range of clinical consultation services through the use of
telecommunications technology.
Locally for patients, telemedicine services have helped eliminate travel costs
while improving access to professional services such as a dietitian at the
Pembroke Regional Hospital and nurses at St. Francis Memorial Hospital.
Telemedicine has also opened up many opportunities for education which
previously might have been cost-prohibitive. Recently, the Pembroke Regional
Hospital had the opportunity to co-host a case conference with the Children’s
Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) on the topic of pediatric diabetes. An insulin
pump information night also connected the two sites, saving families the drive to
Ottawa while providing timely information on the process of starting an insulin
pump.
Through the use of telemedicine, all five sites in the Providers Network as well as
the Petawawa Centennial Family Health Centre hold client visits with Dr. Phyllis
Hierlihy and Dr. Tim O’Leary, endocrinologists based in Ottawa.
Specialized services such as these, through telemedicine, allow for a direct link
between patients and healthcare professionals who are assisted by on-site staff.
Specialized services such as these, through telemedicine, allow for a direct link
between patients and healthcare professionals who are assisted by on-site staff.
All diabetes educators have used telemedicine for continuing education
opportunities as well, allowing for learning in a more fiscally responsible manner.
In summary, the use of telemedicine has helped improve our diabetes education
services in many ways, allowing for more recruitment and retention opportunities
for healthcare professionals, improving the continuity of care by being able to regularly match up patients and staff, and helping to bring the education
components closer to home in a cost-effective fashion.
Learn More:
The Renfrew County Diabetes Education Team consists of Certified Diabetes
Educators (Registered Dietitians and Registered Nurses) who work in
cooperation with physicians, pharmacists, and family members to deliver client centred
care.
Team members are based out of hospitals in Arnprior (613-623-7720), Deep
River (613-584-3333, ext. 313), Pembroke (613-732-3675, ext. 6151), Renfrew
(613-432-4851, ext. 162) and Barry’s Bay (613-756-3045, ext. 240) and provide
both individual and group appointments. For advanced care they provide
referrals and telehealth sessions with specialists.
To make an appointment, call any of the sites. No referral is needed to meet with
the team.
For more information, please contact:
Karen Roosen, Diabetes Education Coordinator:
Pembroke Regional Hospital:
(613) 732-3675 ext. 6530 / karen.roosen@pemreghos.org.
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