Lifemark Whistler Physiotherapy is staying connected with their patients during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Thanks to a special, dedicated and secure video conferencing link, patients can attend “virtual care” sessions with their physiotherapist, who will conduct assessments and lay out a home treatment plan to help them heal.
“Since our patients are not able to come into the clinic in light of stay-at-home regulations, we wanted to offer them the opportunity to connect with us through secure, private video conferencing technology,” says Zoe Hunt, the clinic’s director.
“That means they have one-on-one sessions with a therapist where we are able to conduct an assessment and then provide advice, education and exercises for the patient to manage their symptoms.”
The virtual care sessions are made using Adracare, a specifically designed system for healthcare settings.
Setting up a virtual care session starts with a call to the clinic, or a visit to the website to book online.
“When they register, we put the patient into our system. Then, send an email invitation for their session, followed by a video link and personalized code,” Hunt says.
Patients can connect using their laptop, tablet, and even a smart phone.
If they are not comfortable using the video link, or do not have an Internet connection, phone consultations are also available.
“A large proportion of what we do as physiotherapists is educate patients in the management of their symptoms. That may mean pacing, self massage techniques, exercise programs, the use of heat or ice,” Hunt explains.
“The Adracare video link system also enables us to share documents and provides an online exercise portal which allows us to send the patient their exercises that can be tracked online,” Hunt says, adding the therapist can monitor that to see how their patient is progressing.
So far, the response from patients to the virtual care sessions has been very positive.
“Patients really value the help we are able to give them to recover from injury,” Hunt says, adding the contact also provides a social connection during this time of social and physical distancing.
"We hope to be able to follow other provinces and anticipate to open for in-person treatment in some capacity late May or early June," Hunt says. “In the meantime we are helping bridge that gap in isolation by checking up on patients, and providing encouragement as they progress.”
For more information about how Lifemark Whistler Physiotherapy can help you with your recovery during the stay-at-home advisory period, visit online at Lifemark.ca/whistler, or call 604-932-4001.
