Community Hospice Palliative Care Team

Virtual Services

Disclaimer

All video conferencing programs used in these programs are compliant with the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and Personal Information Protection Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Virtual Hospice Palliative Care:
Benefits and Eligibility Criteria

Accessible to Hospice Palliative Care Team (HPCT) clients.
Clients’ medical needs are addressed using video conferencing software.
HPCT clients may access a physician, nurse practitioner and / or palliative care nurse from the comfort of their own home.
Virtual care is carried out solely with clients whose symptoms are stable, while “in person” home visits occur with clients experiencing unstable symptoms.
Virtual appointments, when appropriate, saves on travel time and therefore provides an opportunity for providers to see more clients.

Referral for clients who are homebound must be made by a physician or nurse practitioner through Ontario Health North, Home and Community Care Support Services North East.

Virtual Initial Contact by HPCT Nurse with Community Client

Initial contact between primary nurse and client may be carried out virtually.
A virtual initial contact allows the primary nurse and client to “see” each-other, which in turn helps establish a better rapport. Thereafter, communication with the HPCT client is often carried-out by telephone.
An initial contact done virtually has the potential to reduce client’s anxiety knowing that care will be provided both virtually and in person.

Virtual Care by the physician and / or Nurse Practitioner

Appointments can be coordinated by a physician or nurse practitioner.
When a more elaborate “hands-on” assessment is required, a virtual visit may be coordinated while the community care nurse is present with the client at his or her home.

For more information or if you wish to access these virtual services, please contact the Hospice’s Manager of Clinical Services at the following coordinates:

Telephone: (705) 586-2273 ext. 224