Patients and Families

Emergency care, closer to home

Health care emergencies are those situations in which patients experience sudden serious injury or illness, or have troubling symptoms related to an ongoing or new medical condition.  Telemedicine provides a way to respond to those emergencies, by providing just-in-time access to specialists 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Emergency physicians use OTN to connect by videoconference to a specialist located in another city.  The specialist can see and hear both the patient and the Emergency physician and provide the appropriate treatment advice, including decisions about medications and whether or not a patient should be moved to a facility that is better suited to provide the type of care that is required. 

Currently, OTN provides support for the delivery of care to patients experiencing stroke or trauma or burns.