Clinical Telemedicine Utilization in Ontario over the Ontario Telemedicine Network
Clinical Telemedicine Utilization in Ontario over the Ontario Telemedicine Network
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DOI：
10.1089/tmj.2015.0166
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发表时间：
2016-06-01
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Warry, Wayne
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
O'Gorman, Laurel D.;Hogenbirk, John C.;Warry, Wayne
简介：安大略省北部是加拿大的一个地区，大约有775,000人分布在803,000公里(2)的社区。安大略远程医疗网络（OTN）促进了往往服务不足的地区获得医疗保健。我们评估了全省OTN利用率的差异。材料和方法：我们使用通过安大略省健康保险计划收集并由卫生和长期护理部提供的OTN医疗服务利用数据。根据安大略省北部和南部以及城市和农村地区的人口普查细分，我们计算了2008/2009年至2013/2014年每个财政年度的利用率和总数。我们还使用计费代码来计算护理治疗领域的利用率。结果：2008/2009年至2013/2014年，安大略省共有652,337例OTN患者就诊。北部地区（农村，52.0；城市，32.1）的年平均利用率高于南部地区（农村，6.1；城市，3.1）。安大略省的大多数使用是用于心理健康和成瘾（61.8%）。外科、肿瘤学和内科等其他保健领域的使用率在北部农村最高，而初级保健使用率在南部城市最高。结论：与该省其他地区相比，安大略省北部农村地区的使用率更高，治疗领域更多样化。安大略省北部城市的利用率也高于安大略省南部。这表明，远程医疗正在用于改善获得医疗保健服务的机会，特别是在该省人口稀少的地区。
Introduction: Northern Ontario is a region in Canada with approximately 775,000 people in communities scattered across 803,000 km(2). The Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) facilitates access to medical care in areas that are often underserved. We assessed how OTN utilization differed throughout the province. Materials and Methods: We used OTN medical service utilization data collected through the Ontario Health Insurance Plan and provided by the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care. Using census subdivisions grouped by Northern and Southern Ontario as well as urban and rural areas, we calculated utilization rates per fiscal year and total from 2008/2009 to 2013/2014. We also used billing codes to calculate utilization by therapeutic area of care. Results: There were 652,337 OTN patient visits in Ontario from 2008/2009 to 2013/2014. Median annual utilization rates per 1,000 people were higher in northern areas (rural, 52.0; urban, 32.1) than in southern areas (rural, 6.1; urban, 3.1). The majority of usage in Ontario was in mental health and addictions (61.8%). Utilization in other areas of care such as surgery, oncology, and internal medicine was highest in the rural north, whereas primary care use was highest in the urban south. Conclusions: Utilization was higher and therapeutic areas of care were more diverse in rural Northern Ontario than in other parts of the province. Utilization was also higher in urban Northern Ontario than in Southern Ontario. This suggests that telemedicine is being used to improve access to medical care services, especially in sparsely populated regions of the province.