Title: Telehealth Wheelchair Seating Consultation and Mentoring
1Telehealth Wheelchair Seating Consultation and
Mentoring
- Calgary Health Region (Rural)
- Jacquie Bryce BSc.P.T., MHS
- Betty Whitney B.S.R.
- Doug Gorin B.Sc. P.T.
2Presentation Overview
- Background/history of w/c clinics
- Telehealth project highlights milestones
- Results Key Learning within project
- Discussion of need to integrate sustainability
planning to ensure future service
3Background/History of Clinic
- HR clinic 1st level one clinic approved in rural
Alberta, AADL program - Eventually became a regional service
- Most clinics (approximately 12 annually),
occurred at HR site - Therapists travel time limited access to service
for other area sites - Team felt that clients needs not met
4Client Centered Rehabilitation
- INDIVIDUAL CLIENT
- -Informed participation in goal setting and
decision making - -Outcome evaluation from client perspective
- -Effective communication
- -Family involvement
- -Comfort, skin, mobility, swallowing, pulmonary,
visual field, hand function - Colt (2001)
- SERVICE / SYSTEM LEVEL
- -Interdisciplinary approach
- -Coordination / continuity
- -Accessibility
- -System evaluation from service perspective
- -Response to client feedback
- areas where current system might be improved
5From...
6To
7Telehealth Wheelchair Seating Project Goals
- Improve access to wheelchair seating
prescription - Enhance learning and skill among practitioners
- Build system capacity and ability to better
manage complex seating needs
8Description
- Videoconferencing is being used to enhance the
availability of seating services within the rural
area of Calgary Health Region (Didsbury, Canmore,
Strathmore, Black Diamond, Vulcan, Claresholm,
Okotoks, High River) - Expertise is being shared from the High River
site to the remote referring sites
9Project Highlights
- Infrastructure (process) developed
- Inventory of existing resources and gaps
- Hiring of temporary program assistant
- Mock Clinic Day eleven therapists and three
technicians (vendors) trained in use of
telehealth equipment and assessment process - Cabling of referring rehabilitation service sites
- Purchased equipment (pressure mapping, camera,
tripods, lighting) - Two therapists attend AADL seating course one
therapist to attend national conference - Project evaluation developed with U of C
Telehealth Faculty of Medicine
10 Results and Key Learnings
- Since first telehealth clinic on April 1st,
2004, we have assessed 30 new clients by
telehealth - Energy
11Results and Key Learnings
- OVERALL IMPROVED EFFICIENCY
- ACCESSIBILITY
- IMPROVED CLIENT ACCESS AND THROUGHPUT (gtS, LESS
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS) - TIMELY MANAGEMENT OF COMPLEX CASES (ltWAIT TIME)
- PROCESS ESTABLISHED IN REGION
- INCREASED RESOURCES (EQUIPMENT SUPPORT)
-
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12Results and Key Learnings
- OVERALL IMPROVED SERVICE
- BETTER ENGAGEMENT AND COLLABORATION (referring
therapists/ family/ vendors) - IMPROVED CLINICAL EVALUATION PROCESS (experts
able to concentrate solely on the evaluation
therapists energized by process) - INCREASED VOLUME OF CLIENTS MEANS DEVELOPMENT AND
MAINTENANACE OF EXPERTISE AMONG CLINICIANS - RURAL TO RURAL SERVICE MODEL ALLOWS FOR IMPROVED
JOB SATISFACTION AND FLEXIBILITY IN MEETING
UNIQUE ATTRIBUTES OF RURAL PRACTICE
13Results and Key Learnings
And of Course There Will be Surprises And
Perhaps Even a Few Dust Ups
14Results and Key Learnings
- AMBITIOUS GOAL SETTING
- PROJECTIONS TOO HIGH
- - REVISED ESTIMATE OF NUMBERS OF CLIENTS TO BE
SERVED ORIGINAL NUMBERS TOO HIGH NOT REALISTIC
(time line very tight for grant proposal,
original estimate called for an increased
capacity of threefold)
15Results and Key Learnings
- BUILD BETTER SUPPORT FOR PROJECT
- MORE CONSULTATION WITH STAKEHOLDERS
- TIGHT TIME FRAME BETWEEN CALL FOR GRANT PROPOSALS
AND SUBMISSION MADE ADEQUATE CONSULTATION
CHALLENGING. - This created a few bumps along the way
- Addressed concerns raised by AADL program
regarding scope of project and integration with
their processes - Concerns with human resource use at sites
(booking, preparation for clinics, using
referring site staff) - Increased hours by experts
16Key Messages
- Grant has fulfilled its seed role, telehealth
wheelchair seating clinics proven a viable option - Sustainability of service will require ongoing
support - Clinical rehabilitation applications using
telehealth significant good potential for
further development
17Future? What happens after grant runs out?
- SUSTAINABILITY OF VIDEOCONFERENCING FOR SEATING
NEEDS - REPLACEMENT STAFF AT HR SITE
- ONGOING TRAINING NEEDS
- ONGOING EVALUATION OF SERVICE (DATA COLLECTION
AND ANALYSIS) - REFERRING SITES, SUPPORT FOR BOOKING AND CLINIC
SET-UP
18(No Transcript)
19Thank you