PMID- 29770076
OWN - NLM
STAT- PubMed-not-MEDLINE
LR  - 20220318
IS  - 1188-4169 (Print)
IS  - 1481-8531 (Electronic)
IS  - 1188-4169 (Linking)
VI  - 43
IP  - 6
DP  - 2017 Jun 1
TI  - The use of technology to improve health care to Saskatchewan's First Nations 
      communities.
PG  - 120-124
AB  - BACKGROUND: Saskatchewan is a province of over one million people and over 13% 
      are Indigenous peoples, many of whom live on reserve lands. Despite continued 
      efforts, access to health care remains a significant challenge for these 
      Indigenous people, especially those in the North. OBJECTIVE: To address this 
      challenge, Saskatchewan's health care providers have been incorporating the use 
      of technology for various health services. This paper describes various ways 
      technology has been used in First Nations communities in Saskatchewan. METHODS: 
      Several pilot projects between First Nations leaders and health care providers, 
      in the communities as well as in the urban setting, have taken place over the 
      past 10 years. Information on these pilots was supplemented with literature 
      reviews and consultations with colleagues at the Northern Inter-Tribal Health 
      Authority, the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB), Health Canada and 
      lead physicians for services to the North. RESULTS: Numerous technologies have 
      shown promise in aiding the timely delivery of high quality health care. Remote 
      Presence Robotic Technology (RPRT) is a form of telemedicine that creates the 
      sense that a clinician is at the patient's side; enabling clinical services to be 
      provided remotely and in real time. Increasing access to internet services and 
      providing computer tablets to community health nurses have improved patients' 
      access to clinical care and to vital health care information. Robotic 
      ultrasonography has been used to provide onsite care for pre-natal patients. The 
      provision of cell phones to HIV-positive patients has improved compliance with 
      anti-retroviral therapy and has resulted in better clinical outcomes. The Xpert 
      MTB/RIF (Mycobacerium tuberculosis complex / resistance to rifampicin) is an 
      automated device that, through analysis of raw sputum samples, can identify the 
      presence of M. tuberculosis with greater speed, sensitivity and specificity than 
      the conventional acid-fast bacilli (AFB) smear. Similarly, telemedicine remote 
      communications equipment is being used for patient care across communities. 
      Panorama is a comprehensive, integrated public health information system designed 
      for public health professionals and is currently being introduced in 21 
      communities in Saskatchewan. CONCLUSION: Not only do these innovative 
      technologies appear to improve access and enhance the quality of timely care in 
      remote communities but they also bring comfort to patients, prevent unnecessary 
      transportation and minimize time away from work and family. Although these 
      technologies are not a panacea for some of the determinants of health that can 
      affect the incidence and severity of infectious diseases in First Nations, they 
      do appear to address some of the geographic challenges faced in providing health 
      services in remote communities.
FAU - Khan, I
AU  - Khan I
AD  - First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Health Canada, Saskatchewan Region, 
      Regina, SK.
FAU - Ndubuka, N
AU  - Ndubuka N
AD  - Northern Inter-Tribal Health Authority, Prince Albert, SK.
FAU - Stewart, K
AU  - Stewart K
AD  - Saskatchewan Infectious Disease Care Network, Saskatoon, SK.
AD  - TB Prevention and Control of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Regional Health, Saskatoon, 
      SK.
FAU - McKinney, V
AU  - McKinney V
AD  - Northern Medical Services, Saskatoon, SK.
FAU - Mendez, I
AU  - Mendez I
AD  - Department of Surgery, Royal University Hospital, Saskatoon, SK.
LA  - eng
PT  - Journal Article
DEP - 20170601
PL  - Canada
TA  - Can Commun Dis Rep
JT  - Canada communicable disease report = Releve des maladies transmissibles au Canada
JID - 9303729
PMC - PMC5764719
COIS- Conflict of interest: IK, NN, VM and IM have no conflict of interest to declare. 
      KS is a consultant and adviser to Gilead Sciences, AbbVie, Merck and has received 
      grants from Gilead, AbbVie, Merck, Roche, Vertex Pharmaceuticals and ViiV 
      Healthcare, but has no investments in any companies involved in pharmaceuticals 
      or health care.
EDAT- 2018/05/18 06:00
MHDA- 2018/05/18 06:01
PMCR- 2017/06/01
CRDT- 2018/05/18 06:00
PHST- 2018/05/18 06:00 [entrez]
PHST- 2018/05/18 06:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 2018/05/18 06:01 [medline]
PHST- 2017/06/01 00:00 [pmc-release]
AID - 430601 [pii]
AID - 10.14745/ccdr.v43i06a01 [doi]
PST - epublish
SO  - Can Commun Dis Rep. 2017 Jun 1;43(6):120-124. doi: 10.14745/ccdr.v43i06a01. 
      eCollection 2017 Jun 1.