Virtual care technology to help patients prep for surgery

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 62, No. 10, December 2020, Page 366 News

A new initiative, Stronger Together, has shown that virtual care can be used to assist patients with their pre- and postsurgery needs. The project helped a patient group in the Okanagan prepare for joint replacement surgery through week-by-week evidence-based virtual care. It is designed to improve patient health literacy, confidence, and outcomes through a combination of digital peer-to-peer social support, secure at-home remote monitoring of key vitals, and virtual one-on-one coaching from nurses and experts.

Dr Michelle Scheepers is an anesthesiologist with Interior Health and one of the pilot project’s clinical leads. Dr Scheepers also serves as a quality improvement advisor with Interior Health. With the successful arthroplasty project completed, Stronger Together will be expanding offerings to support diverse patient populations across Canada, including in the areas of cardiovascular, stroke, mental health, COVID-19 support, and more.

The initiative is spearheaded by Curatio, a Vancouver-based digital health technology provider, along with CloudDX, a Canadian digital health company, and in partnership with Penticton Regional Hospital (Interior Health) and is supported by experts from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University.

. Virtual care technology to help patients prep for surgery. BCMJ, Vol. 62, No. 10, December, 2020, Page(s) 366 - News.


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