The Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) has announced patients who require psychiatric assessment and follow-ups now have access to virtual care when circumstances don’t allow for in-person visits. The hospital says before the pandemic, all interactions with the hospital’s psychiatrists took place in-person on the Acute Mental Health unit or in community-based clinics
Mireille Delorme, the Director for Mental Health Services of Renfrew County, says going virtual has enabled quick access to psychiatry in certain circumstances and also given psychiatrists the ability to meet with patients who are unable to have in-person sessions due to illness. She says having a virtual platform on the unit connects patients to services and treatment in their community, and being a regional program, this is important. The virtual platform also allows patients to stay connected with family and friends unable to visit due to COVID-19 restrictions and safety measures.
Senior Vice-President of Clinical and Support Services – Partnerships and Integration, Sabine Mersmann, says since the implementation in November of 2021, patient response has been positive with many finding the virtual interaction to be user-friendly and “just as good” as in- person.
Psychiatrist Dr. Valentine Okechukwu says virtual psychiatry has been well received by patients and has been effective with the support of members of the mental health services team. Okechukwu says an added advantage is the flexibility it offers the psychiatrist to work when due to some reasons physical presence is not possible.
John Saunders, the Director of Information Technology and Chief Information Officer at PRH, says privacy is an important part of healthcare and something staff and patients take very seriously. Saunders says they decided to use the existing telehealth network that is in place as physicians and staff are familiar with its use and it meets all privacy standards.
(written by: Rudy Kadlec)