How the Ottawa Hospital built virtual critical care lifeline to Iqaluit

Dr. Scott Millington, a critical care doctor with The Ottawa Hospital. Photo by Jean Levac /Jean LevacArticle content

Doctors and nurses in Iqaluit now have a direct, visual link to intensive care specialists at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) to help them assess, support, and stabilize critically ill patients when seconds can make a difference.

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The Ottawa Hospital and the Government of Nunavut launched a virtual critical care program this spring that makes specialists in Ottawa available in real time for health providers in the eastern region of Nunavut.

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The Ottawa Hospital has a longstanding relationship with Nunavut. It is the tertiary hospital for the eastern part of the territory — the Qikiqtaaluk region. Patients from the region who require specialized and complex care are often transported to The Ottawa Hospital for treatment.

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The virtual critical care (VCC) program adds another connection. It links critical care specialists at The Ottawa Hospital with front-line health workers at Qikiqtani General Hospital in Iqaluit.

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The program uses video technology so that critical care physicians, nurses and respiratory therapists in Ottawa can offer real-time support for complex cases at smaller hospitals. The technology allows critical care specialists to directly assess a patient, view vital signs and monitors and talk to family members in order to get a clear picture of the patient’s condition and provide immediate clinical support. The program is available 24/7.

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The Ottawa Hospital General Campus building. Photo by Tony Caldwell /PostmediaArticle content

It builds on the virtual critical care program launched by The Ottawa Hospital in 2023, which now supports 12 partner hospitals across Eastern Ontario. Some participants have called it a lifeline. Under the program, an ICU (intensive care unit) doctor and nurse at TOH are on call at all times to do detailed consultations with health professionals in Eastern Ontario and now in Nunavut.

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The service to Nunavut began on April 1.

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Dr. Scott Millington, a critical care physician at TOH, says the newly expanded program is “fundamentally about getting patients to the right place at the right time.” Patients who need to be transferred to Ottawa can be assessed quickly and support given to prepare them for medical transport, he says. The program also enables some severely ill patients to be treated closer to home, he said.

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It gives health providers at smaller hospitals real-time support in stabilizing patients and preventing them from getting worse.