System to provide remote help for Saskatchewan lung transplant patients

Between 60 and 70 lung transplant recipients in Saskatchewan are set to get help digitally.

Telus Health, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Health Authority and eHealth Saskatchewan, expanded the Home Health Monitoring (HHM) system to remotely monitor the recovery of lung transplant patients in the province.

The system allows a health-care team to provide medical support remotely to patients who are recovering in their own homes. The system will allow the immunocompromised patients, as well as their health-care providers, to avoid potential exposure to COVID-19 in clinics or hospitals.

“Enabling clinicians to remotely observe individuals who have just undergone a transplant surgery and are recovering in the comfort of their own home allows for optimal patient recovery and strengthens efforts to keep both patients and clinicians safe during the pandemic,” Luc Vilandré, the president of Telus Health, said in a media release.

The system allows patients to record data in such areas as lung function, blood pressure and overall health condition and send it through a mobile device, tablet or desktop computer to members of the care team.

Those individuals then can view the data in real time and identify any urgent care issues that need to be addressed.

“Home health monitoring allows patients to be active participants in their care, helping to ensure better outcomes,” Dr. Vern Behl, a senior medical information officer with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, said in the release.

“It also helps build capacity in our health-care system, preventing our acute-care facilities from becoming overwhelmed, which is especially necessary at this time.”

According to the release, discussions are underway about the expansion of HHM to remotely monitor Saskatchewan residents with heart conditions and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

The system has been used in British Columbia since 2013 to monitor patients living with chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart failure and respiratory diseases.

It’s also being used across Canada to support individuals who have a high risk of contracting COVID-19. Telus Health says more than 1,400 B.C. residents have been monitored for the coronavirus to date.