Residents of long-term care homes on Vancouver Island are benefiting from more timely access to wound care via virtual appointments with nurses specializing in skin, wound, ostomy and continuance care (NSWOC) according to Island Health.

Virtual care appointments allow long-term care clinicians and residents to consult with NSWOC nurses by video using iPads. Previously, clinicians would have to take photos of a wound, then email them to the nurse who would later provide advice over a phone call; or if the wound was serious or complex, patients would have to be seen in-person in either a hospital or in the care home.

B次元官网网址淰irtual appointments allow me to talk with the resident and their family and understand their goals for care,B次元官网网址� said one of two Island Health NSWOC nurses, Erin Ballard, in a news release. B次元官网网址淲ith video, I can see the resident, care staff, and the wound in real-time, which fosters a more thorough holistic assessment. In this way, we can create a treatment plan that is uniquely tailored to the resident and aims to improve their comfort and quality of life.B次元官网网址� 

Island Health says virtual visits are especially valuable to long-term care residents who live in remote or rural areas as they no longer have to drive long distances to receive specialty care.

Pat Lesieur, a resident of the Westhaven home in Port Alberni, said she is appreciative of the care she received during her virtual appointment. "Thank you for your outstanding care, time and attention to help me heal. I felt truly cared for and looked after by the online nurse and the care staff,B次元官网网址� she noted in the release.

The technology necessary to host virtual care is currently in place in 59 of 61 long-term care homes in the Island Health region, and since its inception in July, 123 virtual visits have been carried out.

B次元官网网址淚 find virtual calls easy to use and efficient at connecting both the residents and the on-site care team with the clinical expertise we need. Residents are happy to receive an appointment so quickly and to be a part of the assessment, and I receive a care plan after the call," said Janice Mangano, a clinical nurse leader at The Summit in Victoria, in the release.

Island Health says it plans to further expand the program in the future to include complex behaviour care planning.