Palliative care patients use tablets to video-conference appointments

A pilot project in Thunder Bay that loans computer tablets to palliative care patients so they can keep in touch with caregivers from home is being expanded throughout the province.

Dr. Geoff Davis, the medical director of the hospice unit at St. Joseph's Care Group, said the Ontario Telemedicine Network has already begun rolling out the project, which sees patients near the end of their lives using tablets to attend appointments through videoconferencing.

Videoconferencing can be more comfortable for patients, said Davis, and it can allow patients to ask questions without family members present.

"We didn't really expect to see that when we started using tablets, but it was quickly identified by the patients that we saw that they really liked that autonomy," he said.

The tablets allow appointments to be arranged more quickly with patients in remote areas and with those who find it difficult to leave the house.

Davis said he also uses the technology to check in with some of his patients dealing with chronic pain.

The set-up is straightforward, with only a clicked link and a password needed to access the virtual meeting room, he added. 

"The technology has not been a barrier for even elderly patients to set up interviews and have them by themselves, once they've been shown what to do," Davis said.