Who can make a Referral?
Consultations are usually initiated by a family physician who wishes to refer a patient to a specialist or by a specialist who wishes to use telemedicine for follow-up appointments.

What happens at a Telemedicine appointment?
A Telemedicine appointment is much like a regular check-up, only the specialist and the patient will be seeing and talking to each other through two-way television. Also, the specialist who will be conducting the examination will have received information about the patient prior to the appointment.

Once the patient has checked in at the clinic, they will be asked to sign a consent form.  The patient may also be asked to change into a gown, depending on the kind of examination they are having.

A health professional trained in telemedicine procedures will escort the patient into the examination room. A family member may accompany the patient. The health care specialist you will be seeing will most likely come from another NORTH Network hospital site.

Who is with me during a consultation?
Depending on the type of consultation there will usually be one staff member with you during the examination, either your family doctor or a telemedicine nurse.

Who will be examining me?
The health care specialists are part of the NORTH Network team and usually come from the nearest referral centre.

How long does a telemedicine appointment take?
The appointment can take between 10 minutes to an hour, depending on the type of examination and whether or not the patient has seen the specialist previously.

How private is a telemedicine examination?
The Telemedicine examination will be entirely private and confidential. The examination can only be seen and heard by those directly involved in the consultation. Patients are informed of those present at each site.

Do patients feel satisfied with their telemedicine consultations?
NORTH Network evaluations and surveys have demonstrated a very high degree of patient satisfaction with their telemedicine consultations. In fact, over 90% said they were satisfied with their consultation and that they would do it again.

NORTH Network patients report that they are able to see and hear clearly, and that they are comfortable conversing and asking the specialist questions on television. Further, many patients indicated that the availability of telemedicine in their communities has made a significant impact on improving access to specialty care.

Telemedicine patients also report feelings of spending 'more time' with a doctor during a telemedicine consultation, then what they would have received in an actual consulting room. As well, patients report that a telemedicine consultation greatly reduces the stress of having to travel long distances to see a specialist.

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