Apr-2019
‘It’s medical Skype’: Hamilton doctor Rick Tytus says virtual health care is here to stay
Some doctors recommend less screen time for their patients. Hamilton’s Rick Tytus is one doctor who thinks more screen time will help improve health for some of his patients.
Tytus has introduced virtual health care into his Main Street East medical clinic, which allows him to see and treat some of his sicker patients through a computer-based video hookup.
In the past, making a house call meant Tytus would have to stop what he was doing in his office, get in his car, drive to the patient, do the examination, and then return to the office.
“That’s going to consume 45 minutes or an hour,” he said. “Now my staff say, ‘I’m ready,’ and bang — I see patients.
“It’s medical Skype. It’s like talking to your granddaughter in Australia.”
Now he can send one of his staff members to the patient’s home, armed with an electronic stethoscope and otoscope for looking into ears.
With a portable computer at the other end, Tytus can conduct an examination, fill out a prescription and help provide access to care for people who might not otherwise be able to get to the doctor’s office. He can see the patient on his computer with their medical chart on a second screen, the patient can see him, and the interaction is done across a secure video platform that protects privacy.
“They are my patients and I have their complete medical records, so I know exactly what care they need, how to deliver it, what medications they’re on, what’s their past history,” said Tytus. “And that’s crucial. I can respond as needed.”
Tytus’s medical clinic is situated in the heart of the inner city where health outcomes are often the poorest, as has been highlighted repeatedly in The Spectator’s ongoing Code Red series of projects.
“I really think that this will improve patient access because that’s the problem with Code Red zones,” said Tytus, a former president of the Hamilton Academy of Medicine.
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