OrthoHealth covers selected MBJH projects to address increased provincial access to MSK care.
iHealth
From 2009 to 2014 we had a pilot project (iHealth) to expand connections among doctors patients, and health care providers across the province through telemedicine. Through iHealth we explored possibilities with First Nations doctors and nurses in remote areas We noted improved Rogers, MTS, and WiFi coverage across the province during this time and reported our interest in this to the Canadian Orthopedic Association Bulletin.
We were limited to physician to physician/Nurse practitioner transfer of clinical pictures and x-rays (without patient identification). These were much appreciated by doctors, nurses, and patients in guiding treatment.
Internet Telemedicine
Beginning in 2015, a goal has been to introduce this service to Manitoba. The public (Ontario and Saskatchewan) and private sectors (BC) have installed this technology, particularly to deliver care in remoter areas of the vast Canadian geography.
Manitoba lags in using Internet telemedicine to improve access to care, and provider networking. Provincial colleges, regulators, and provincial health plans are taking greater interest in applying and managing these systems.
iBone is our name for internet consultation service, representing the acronym Better Orthopedic Networking Experience (BONE). Physicians and surgeons already use smart phones in their work in mostly informal ways in Manitoba. As health care costs increase, and care becomes more complex and specialized, we would like to see our province benefit more from this mode of care delivery, particularly in isolated areas. This can not be applied until internet telemedicine is available in Manitoba.
Multidisciplinary MSK panel
A panel comprised of a physiotherapist, Sport medicine physician, chiropractor, and orthopedic surgeon, presented a public event at the Refit Centre in Winnipeg in Sept 25, 2014, on the topic Exercising with Arthritis. Attendants clearly were looking for more comprehensive and coordinated MSK care, and are frustrated in the current system. We may be able to expand this service, meant to personalize MSK advice in a group setting, featuring questions common to all.
Aging Musculoskeletal Conference Nov 20/21, 2015
A first for Manitoba, a conference to demonstrate the common bonds joining, rather than the silos separating, providers and researchers towards a patient centred mode of health care for Manitoba.