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 Telehealth
SurveillanceBackground:
As the area of syndromic surveillance
(SS) research rapidly progresses in an effort to improve the quality
of existing signals and the timeliness of detection, non-traditional
data sources are being suggested as a way to increase the sensitivity
of SS systems. The aim of the Telehealth project is to evaluate
the effectiveness of this telephone nursing helpline as a real-time
syndromic surveillance system. With the Telehealth hotline being
one of the first points of access to healthcare for the population,
it is feasible that monitoring these calls can give advance warning
of an impending disease outbreak.
Telehealth:
Telehealth is a toll-free helpline
provided by the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC)
and is available to all residents of Ontario. Users are encouraged
to call with any general health questions with confidential advice
being given regarding any health concerns. The system is available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year with advice coming
from trained and experienced registered nurses. Telehealth is available
in English and French, with translational support available in 110
languages. Each nurse-led call lasts an average of 10 minutes with
nurses directing patients to the most appropriate form of care.
Telehealth services are provided by a private contractor “Clinidata”
hired by the MOHLTC which has collected data since December 2001.
Data is collected in the form of 486 guidelines which have been
reviewed and approved by a team of university-affiliated medical
experts. Clinidata website Telehealth website Relevant Publications
Perry AG, Moore KM, Lévesque LE, Pickett CWL, Korenberg MJ. A Comparison of Methods for Forecasting Emergency Department Visits for Respiration Illness Using Telehealth Ontario Calls. CJEM. 2010;101(6).  Full Text LinkCaudle JM, van Dijk A, Rolland E, Moore K. Telehealth Ontario detection of gastrointestinal illness outbreaksCanadian Journal of Public Health 2009; 100(4):253-57
Abstract LinkVan Dijk, A.; McGuinness, D.; Rolland, E.; Moore, K. Can Telehealth Ontario respiratory call volume be used as a proxy for emergency department respiratory visit surveillance by public health?Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine 2008;10(1):18-24. Full Text LinkRolland, E.; Moore,K.; Robinson,V.A.; McGuinness,D. Using Ontario's "Telehealth" health telephone helpline as an early-warning system: a study protocol BMC Health Serv Res. 2006 Feb 15;6:10. Full Text LinkMoore, K. Real-time syndrome
surveillance in Ontario, Canada: the potential use of emergency
departments and Telehealth. Eur J Emerg Med. 2004 Feb;11(1):1-2.
Full Text LinkOntario's Telehealth Compendium Compendium: Integrating Ontario’s Telehealth program into a provide-wide public health surveillance system: Evaluation and Recommendations Introduction: Introduction and Executive Summary Chapter 1: Using Ontario’s “Telehealth” Health Telephone Helpline as an early-warning system: A study protocol Chapter 2: Ontario’s Telehealth System: A novel syndromic surveillance system Chapter 3: Can Telehealth Ontario respiratory call volume be used as a proxy for emergency department respiratory visit surveillance by public health? Chapter 4: The Utility of Emergency Department Triage Chief Complaints for Real-Time Respiratory Illness Monitoring and Outbreak Detection in Ontario Chapter 5: Mapping the influenza epidemics of 2004-5 and 2005-6 in Ontario using data from emergency department and Telehealth Ontario utilization Chapter 6: Telehealth detection of gastrointestinal illness: An early warning system for bioterrorism Chapter 7: Integrating Ontario’s Telehealth program into a provide-wide public health surveillance system: Evaluation and Recommendations |
