Posted • Last updated
Closed
Commitment: Long-term
Connection method: Virtual
Open to Fraser Valley & Lower Mainland
Last updated
Volunteer Opportunity
Do you have an interest in new ways to provide healthcare? Partner with Fraser Health to be a part of the Virtual Hospital Program.
Lead Organization/Department
Fraser Health
Aim
• To provide hospital level care to applicable patients within their place of residence. Patients will regularly connect with health care providers within the hospital from their own home 24 hours a day and will be considered ‘admitted’ hospital patients.
• Partner with the Virtual Hospital Team to ensure the diverse needs of patients and families are identified and included in the decision making.
Level of Engagement
This opportunity is at the level of involve on the spectrum of engagement. The promise to you is that the health care partner will involve patients in planning and design phases to ensure ideas or concerns are considered and reflected in alternatives and recommendations.
Eligibility
Open to volunteers from Fraser Health reagion who:
• Are comfortable talking about how and where they seek medical advice.
• Have access to a telephone or computer for videoconferencing.
• Experience receiving health care virtually or hospital experience.
• English as a second language or supporting patients who do not speak English would be a benefit but not required.
Logistics
• Number of vacancies: 5
• Date/Time: Will be based on the project stage and the availability of patient advisors.
• Commitment: Up to six months.
• Location: Webinar. For 3-6 months, regular meetings (via MS Teams) and e-mail will be the main ways the group will connect with the patient advisors. between the meetings.
Reimbursement
If required, travel expenses will be reimbursed.
Background
The virtual hospital is an innovative program that has been successful in other countries throughout the world. Research has demonstrated that Hospital at Home has many benefits to patients such as lowering the risk for hospital-based complications and minimizing their exposure to infectious diseases. The Virtual Hospital also supports a person and family approach to care and reduces the pressures on hospital beds.
In September, the Virtual Psychiatry Sub-acute Unit opened. Patients and their families connect with a Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) trained interdisciplinary team of clinical and medical staff from a variety of disciplines who, via virtual tools and technologies, monitor the patient and real-time data to provide timely, high-quality health care in the patient’s home. Patients will consent to participate in the VPSU. Patients may move from VPSU to other care units if their clinical presentation requires it, or if the person chooses to receive care in a traditional unit. Click here to read more about the VPSU (https://thebeat.fraserhealth.ca/news/2023/Feb/dr-amy-burns-clinical-psychologist-with-virtual-hospital-subacute-psychiatry-unit-program-talks-abou)
Virtual Hospital Program Virtual Medicine Unit (VMU):
Next, in the Spring of 2023, Fraser Health is planning to open a Virtual Medicine Unit which will include:
• Ambulatory enablement: supporting clinics to deliver care virtually (where clinically appropriate)
• Remote Engagement: providing tools (i.e. remote monitoring to allow clients to be monitored from their home; iPads to connect patients to family) and resources to support clients and clinicians to utilize virtual health services
• Hospital at Home: providing acute care services (currently providing in a hospital) from the comfort of the client’s home.
https://www.fraserhealth.ca/patients-and-visitors/virtual-health#.ZB36PyZlC1t
https://thebeat.fraserhealth.ca/news/2023/Feb/dr-amy-burns-clinical-psychologist-with-virtual-hospital-subacute-psychiatry-unit-program-talks-abou
