Virtual health care to expand in N.S.

Need a family doctor but don't have one?

What if there was an app for that?

In Nova Scotia, there is, at least in some parts of the province.

Since last May, some people on the province's Need a Family Practice registry in western and northern Nova Scotia (where the proportion of doctorless patients is highest) have had the option of accessing primary care virtually.

It's part of a year-long pilot project — called Virtualcarens — that Nova Scotia Health has been testing and evaluating.

Virtual health care means meeting with a doctor, nurse practitioner or other healthcare professional remotely, via your computer or smartphone, by video or phone.

Virtualcarens officials tell me it's been very successful.

That's good news, because the new Progressive Conservative government promised, if elected, to immediately offer virtual health care to all Nova Scotians on the registry.

Well, they won. So, when is that happening?

So far, that's unclear. Earlier this month, they told me it's a priority but still a work in progress.

This week, because I was writing on the virtual health care trial, I asked: Was there a tentative rollout date and would the current trial be ended early or expanded?

No answers by the time I filed what you're reading.

While we wait for the government's

plan, let's take a closer look at the virtual care pilot.

In late May, Virtualcarens sent invitations to people on the Need a Family Practice registry in Middleton, New Glasgow, Truro, and Yarmouth, offering a chance to access health care virtually. Later, more communities in the health authority's northern and western zones were added.

By end of August, 18,000 people had been invited. About 4,700 registered for an account. More than 1,100 virtual care visits had occurred. Here's how it works: An invitee gets an online account and creates a profile, including health history. They schedule a virtual care session by clicking a “Get care” button on their computer or smartphone app and spelling out why they want an appointment.

Then they join a queue for

next available primary care provider. The wait has varied, from 10 minutes to over an hour. Ideally, it'd be no more than 30 minutes, officials say. Right now, just two or three of the 11 primary care providers (eight family physicians, three nurse practitioners) providing virtual services are on at any given time.

Another 30 family physicians and 11 nurse-practitioners are expected to join the system soon.

Once connected, the primary care provider determines what's needed — phone call, face-to-face virtual session, or, if necessary, inperson visit. They can fill prescriptions, order tests, even refer to specialists.

Virtualcarens officials say more than 90 per cent of patients who've participated have rated the experience highly.

“Virtualnova Scotia really has been one of the most successful

implementations in this country,” says Gail Tomblin Murphy, NSH vice-president of research, innovation and discovery, who oversees virtual care strategy.

“We see the difference that it's making.”

So, why hasn't there been greater usage of virtual care among invitees?

According to Tara Sampalli, NSH senior scientific director, research, innovation and discovery, whose team is evaluating Virtualcarens, their surveys show people liked having access but many had no immediate need for an appointment.

A smaller percentage felt it wouldn't work due to their chronic health care needs. A few were not comfortable or didn't understand the service.

Next question: With a shortage of family doctors and nurse-practitioners, where do they find primary care providers for virtual care sessions?

A number of places. Retired or close-to-retirement physicians. New physicians. Even established doctors with unexpected openings in their schedules.

The idea is that whenever a primary care provider who's part of the virtual care system has some time, they could take the next person in the queue.

“We don't want to take people away from their practice,” says Sampalli.

“We want to add capacity to the system, not take it away from our primary care clinics,” adds Tomblin Murphy.

They feel there's a lot of untapped potential — in these and other health-care fields — to provide services, in appropriate circumstances, virtually.

“The sky's the limit, as we see it at this point, to appropriately have the right team wrapped around Nova Scotians, to provide the care that they need, where they need it and in a timely way,” says Tomblin Murphy.

Greater use of virtual health care is coming, here and elsewhere.

It's 2021. We've got technology to make zoom calls halfway around the world and stream data-heavy movies and video games.

Virtual health care should be a gimme.

After all, access to health care is one of our biggest challenges.

If virtual care can help connect, safely and appropriately, health care providers with those who need them, the quicker Tim Houston's government rolls out virtual health care across the province, the better.