In December 2014, The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) reviewed and updated their Telemedicine policy, providing clarity on general expectations for telemedicine and specific expectations for practicing telemedicine across borders. I had the privilege of being part of the working group that developed the policy, along with CPSO Council, staff, and other external experts. For more than a year, the working group met regularly and took an in-depth review of the state of telemedicine around the world, including the positions and policies of other Colleges, provinces, territories, as well as international positions in other countries like the US,...

Posted in Policy, Regulations

Tagged: policy, update, telemedicine, protocol

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"VPN–ectomy" for Otn.teledermSF

Written by Stewart Stein

on November 26, 2013

One consistent piece of advice we always hear from users of OTN services is this… “Make it simple”. Making things simple is, well, hard! For example, it would be ideal if Otn.teledermSF, OTN’s store forward dermatology program, could be integrated with EMRs so that data could automatically pre-populate the required fields. With at least 15 popular EMRs in use in the province, the task of integration is challenging (and expensive). OTN, however, is certainly looking at ways to do this. One simplification we have been able to apply is the elimination of the need to use VPN for Telederm. Effective immediately, users of Otn.teledermSF no longer need to login via...

Posted in Teledermatology

Tagged: telesteth, update, store forward, protocol

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Telestroke: Virtual care that recognizes time is muscle

Written by Rob Williams

on October 16, 2013

More than a decade ago, a new approach to treating an acute stroke was developed that involved administering tPA within 3-4 hours of the onset of an acute ischemic stroke. tPA dissolves a clot and restores circulation, resulting in a dramatic patient recovery. Where tPA was effective, most patients were able to resume their lives rather than being permanently disabled with paralysis and/or neurological loss. The issue with administering tPA is that not all strokes are caused by a blood clot; sometimes the strokes are caused by a hemorrhage into the brain. If tPA is given to these patients the stroke is made worse. The standard of care in most jurisdictions, is that a...

Posted in Telestroke

Tagged: telestroke, neurology, patient, protocol

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