During the COVID-19 pandemic, innovation comes to the rescue of house-bound employees who require medical attention
The longer your employees continue to work from home, whether in quarantine or through self-isolation, the greater the likelihood they will eventually require medical services. They may not wish to visit their doctor in person for fear of coming in contact with Covid-19 carriers, especially if they are already dealing with an immune deficiency. They may also be reluctant to leave their home if they have difficulty finding child care or would rather not have contact with a baby-sitter who has not been a part of their isolation.
Fortunately, you can now offer them the option of Virtual Healthcare. Employees who are working from home may access assessment and treatment through telemedicine via their smartphone, tablet or computer. This service is more comprehensive than you may think, offering medical advice, prescriptions and even ordering lab work if required.
This innovation is proving that it can deal with a wide variety of physical and mental health problems including hyperthyroidism, rosacea, bronchitis, kidney infections, kidney stones, insomnia and tuberculosis, just to name a few.
With regards to mental health, a 2018 review by the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health demonstrated that telemedicine services may provide effective alternatives to traditional treatment modalities while improving access to care. These evidence-based treatment protocols for depression and anxiety disorders have shown to be as effective as traditional face-to-face modes of delivery.
Pros and Cons
Too often, people tend to put off seeking medical attention even if they believe they need it. It’s human nature to ensure that the needs of work and family have been taken care of before we look after ourselves. When you consider the amount of time it takes to drive to the doctor, the time spent in the aptly named ‘waiting room’, the visit itself and the ride back to work, a doctor’s appointment can eat up a morning or an afternoon.
A key advantage of telemedicine is that an employee can eliminate wasted time. Rather than having to ‘make time’ to look after themselves, employees can seek medical attention as soon as they begin to feel sick. Having an ailment diagnosed and treated as early as possible means a greater likelihood of an early recovery and a speedy return to good health and productive days.
Although technology plays a huge part in the delivery of telemedicine, this is still about health care organization. The doctors and clinicians who offer consultations online are the same professionals who are also seeing patients in person. Even though there is greater ease in seeing a physician, employees must remember to only make an appointment when it is absolutely required.
How does an employee get started?
When an employee needs medical care, their first call should be to their family doctor. Many have begun offering virtual appointments via smart phone or video call. The doctor’s staff will be able to discuss your options and set up a virtual appointment. If their family doctor is not offering video consultations, or the employee doesn’t have a family doctor, many companies are not offering virtual health care, including consultations, referrals to specialists, pharmacy services and mental health services. Many of these services are free if you have a valid health card and live in a province that covers virtual health services. If the services are not free, employees can pay for them with assistance from their Health Spending Accounts.
The employee’s doctor may be able to recommend an online health service provider to the patient. If not, you may direct your employees to your health care provider directly, or ask them to call their provincial health based information service.
| Province | Phone # | Website |
| Alberta | 811 | Health Link |
| British Columbia | 811 | HealthLink BC |
| Manitoba | 888.315.9257 | Health Links-Info-Santé |
| New Brunswick | 811 | Tele-Care |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 811 | 811 HealthLine |
| Northwest Territories | Health and Social Services | |
| Nova Scotia | 811 | 811 |
| Nunavut | 867.975.5772 | Telehealth |
| Ontario | 866.797.0000 | Telehealth |
| Prince Edward Island | 811 | 811 Telehealth |
| Quebec | 811 | InfoSanté 811 |
| Saskatchewan | 811 | HealthLine 811 |
| Yukon | 811 | HealthLine |
Mental Health
The issue of mental health treatment has been a winding road for decades and has taken an interesting direction with the introduction of virtual treatment.
The issue of mental health treatment has been a winding road for decades and has taken an interesting direction with the introduction of virtual treatment.
Because of societal stigmas that have always surrounded mental health, people were often reluctant to admit they were suffering from mental health issues and seek help. In recent years, attitudes towards mental health have changed for the better. Today, as the topic continues to be discussed in mainstream and social media, the issue is slowly becoming normalized, and people are beginning to understand the importance of looking for help and maintaining positive mental health.
As awareness on mental health increased, consumers began to see an uptick in the number of apps devoted to it. On the positive side, this allowed people to address specific mental health issues discreetly. The challenge was finding an app that was truly beneficial.
While apps are self-help in nature and should never be a replacement for therapy, some have been recognized by the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as being evidence-based in their approach to dealing with mental health issues. During this pandemic, isolation and fear of the unknown are creating anxiety and depression among people who have never suffered mental health issues before. Apps such as the ones listed below, may be a good first step for employees who are committed to staying home.
Because of societal stigmas that have always surrounded mental health, people were often reluctant to admit they were suffering from mental health issues and seek help. In recent years, attitudes towards mental health have changed for the better. Today, as the topic continues to be discussed in mainstream and social media, the issue is slowly becoming normalized, and people are beginning to understand the importance of looking for help and maintaining positive mental health.
As awareness on mental health increased, consumers began to see an uptick in the number of apps devoted to it. On the positive side, this allowed people to address specific mental health issues discreetly. The challenge was finding an app that was truly beneficial.
While apps are self-help in nature and should never be a replacement for therapy, some have been recognized by the Ottawa Institute of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as being evidence-based in their approach to dealing with mental health issues. During this pandemic, isolation and fear of the unknown are creating anxiety and depression among people who have never suffered mental health issues before. Apps such as the ones listed below, may be a good first step for employees who are committed to staying home.
- Calm — Guided meditation that can help with overall mental health.
- Headspace — Guided meditation that can help with overall mental health.
- Moodnotes — A thought-record app that helps track and improve thoughts.
- nOCD — Guides users through exercises that may help them manage symptoms of obsessive compulsive disorder.
- Pacifica — Provides CBT-based exercises and symptom tracking that help with anxiety and stress.
- PTSD Coach — Provides self-help information and symptom tracking related to post-traumatic stress disorder.
- TruReach — Provides five-minute CBT lessons that teach skills to help deal with anxiety and depression.
Telemedicine is a tremendous step forward for people in remote communities or people who may be isolating during a pandemic. Virtual healthcare technology is creating options that offer convenient, timely and valuable care. It is worth repeating that a doctor should always be a person’s first point of contact for medical attention and we are not suggesting that an app can adequately replace direct medical care. Technology has made it possible to establish contact with medical professionals virtually. It has also given us options for self-help that have not existed before. However, it is always incumbent upon the user of technology and specific apps to research the authenticity of those apps and evaluate the benefits that are being provided.
Photo courtesy of National Cancer Institute and Unsplash
