OTN
OTN Teledermatology is a free service allows primary care physicians to securely send a digital photograph and brief description of patient’s skin condition to a dermatologist.
Here are five pearls to benefit most from OTN Teledermatology:
1) Ensure to provide essential OTN Teledermatology referral information:
Referring GP info: GP name, MOH/billing (not CPSO) number, phone number
Patient information: correct name, DOB, valid health card and correct version
Ideally, one issue per patient consult and avoid multiple submissions
Brief relevant history, pertinent positives and negatives
Details of drug plan: e.g. work plan or ODB
Good pictures, i.e.... | |
Photo by cbgrfx123
I don’t know about you but sometimes I have a hard time conceptualizing large numbers. We’re always hearing statistics reported in the news… a few million here or a couple of billion there. I’m challenged just guessing how many jelly beans are in the jar.
If, like me, you can use a little help wrapping your mind around the difference between a million and a billion, here’s something that can help: a million seconds translates into about 11 days. A billion seconds translates into about 32 years. That’s a big difference when it comes to beans.
The reason I mention this is... | |
After more than 11,000 dermatology consults, Otn.teledermSF received a facelift on December 20th, 2013. The user interface is quite similar to the previous version so users shouldn’t find it to be too much of an adjustment.
Here is a summary of the changes and instructions on how to use the new features. If you have any questions or comments, please contact the OTN Customer Care Centre at 1-855-654-0888.
Old version appearance
New version appearance
Highlights
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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... | |
Many small communities throughout Ontario don’t have a local psychiatrist, so it can be challenging at times for people in these communities to receive psychiatric services. Telepsychiatry gives people in these communities the opportunity to interact one-on-one with a psychiatrist from another part of the province. Moreover, people with mobility issues need only to travel to a local Telehealth studio, rather than to a psychiatrist’s office.
We’ve had very positive reactions from people that have participated in one-to-one psychiatric patient videos. The patients feel very comfortable – in fact, we’ve had some patients tell us they’re... | |
Not long ago, my wife and I took a road trip to Montreal from Toronto. I take highway driving "seriously" and was very focused on the road. It was a beautiful day and we drove along watching the scenery roll by in a blissful contemplative silence…or so I thought. When we hit Kingston my wife couldn't contain herself anymore, "What’s with you?! You haven’t said a word!". Clearly we had different expectations of my driverly duties.
I have had the opportunity to speak with many of the dermatologists participating in OTN’s TeledermSF program. Trust me, I’m not suggesting that any of the derms are in anyway approaching any kind of acrimony that I managed to achieve with my driving partner.... | |
Back in 2007 OTN’s primary focus was extending telemedicine – in the form of real-time videoconferencing – beyond hospitals, but we were also examining how to expand our program offerings. “Store forward” – an application that allows information to be sent to a secure server where it can be downloaded at another time – had been used for years in the United States, in particular, at Veterans Affairs and the Alaska Federal Health Care Access Network (AFHCAN). There were also a number of papers and presentations delivered at ATA on store forward use in dermatology. OTN decided to... | |
OTN est un organisme indépendant à but
non lucratif, qui est financé par
le Gouvernement de l’Ontario.