Office of Virtual Health

The Office of Virtual Health leads and provides strategic direction and innovation for the virtual health initiative at PHSA. It works directly with clinical teams to provide guidance and support as they integrate virtual health into their services.

Resources to support your learning and development in the area of virtual health

Our Practice and Education webpages have helpful content like our Intro to Digital Health Literacy, Virtual Health Competency Framework, and Practice & Education.

Visit Practice & Education

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Virtual health services we support

Virtual health visit

A technology-enabled remote interaction between providers, provider(s) and patient(s), and patients and families to address the patients’ health.

Remote patient monitoring

Use technology to monitor a patient’s health (usually from their home), and share the information electronically with health care teams

TELUS Home Health Monitoring

Clinical digital messaging

Patients and their care teams can communicate using text messaging for administrative information exchange, appointment reminders and general check-ins

Online treatment and resources

24/7 access to web-based applications for anonymous, confidential and highly person-centred treatment for challenges with mental health or substance use

We work directly with clinical teams and their patients as they integrate virtual health into their services

Investigate clinical needs in areas the program wants to transform or improve
Help define and document clinical requirements of a virtual health tool
Identify and recommend a virtual health tool to support the clinical needs and requirements
Support to ensure the virtual health tool is enabled, including working with our IMITS, privacy, risk and procurement departments
Project and change management support, tools and coaching
Clinical workflow re-design
Virtual health education and practice support

Improving the patient experience

Improving the patient experience is the driver of all Office of Virtual Health initiatives. Patient input is essential to project planning, implementation and evaluation.

Identify patients’ needs: This requires an understanding of patients’ compelling needs and their ability and willingness to use the virtual health solution.
Co-design with patients: An open feedback loop ensures patient input guides the solution design. Where possible, the OVH team uses formalized patient committees.
Evaluate patient input: A Patient Feedback Survey is used at key project milestones to ensure patient feedback guides continuous improvement.
Deliver patient outcomes: Demonstrate improved patient satisfaction and experience.

Go behind-the-scenes at virtual health projects in PHSA programs

Many PHSA programs have successfully integrated virtual health into their programs. Read the stories to get their feedback and learn about patients’ experiences.

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Integrate virtual health into your services

If you are considering adding virtual health to your services, please contact us at officeofvirtualhealth@phsa.ca.

We work with your team through all stages of integration

The OVH has developed tools and resources that support clinical programs through all phases, including:

Engagement
Discovery
Planning
Execution
Evaluation
Scale
Project management
Coaching support to the clinical team
Education and training

Resources

Virtual health policy

The virtual health policy was developed to support staff to safely and effectively use virtual health in their clinical practice.

PHSA virtual health policy (PDF)
Search for additional policies on the Shared Health Organizations Portal (SHOP)

Virtual health competency framework

Informed by evidence, clinical expertise, and with input from patient and family partners, the OVH competency framework is a foundational practice resource that can support all PHSA health-care providers to deliver safe, appropriate and effective virtual health.

Access the Competency Framework.

Virtual health handbook

For PHSA staff who use virtual health in their clinical practice, this handbook provides information and references that consider professional standards, current legislation and feedback from PHSA subject matter experts and clinical programs.

Virtual health handbook

Privacy and security in virtual health

This resource supports PHSA staff and clinicians in navigating privacy and security in virtual health.

Privacy and security resource

When a person consents to receive care through virtual health, their personal information will be collected directly from them for the purpose of providing that care. For any questions about the collection of this personal information, please contact PHSA Information Access & Privacy Services at privacyandfoi@phsa.ca. This information is being collected by PHSA under the authority of sections 26(c) and 26(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Send an email to a fax machine

SRFax is a web-based solution that enables users to send electronic faxes by emailing an attachment to the fax machine of the user’s choice. Visit our SRFax page for clinician support.

Interpreting and captioning tools

Video Remote Interpreting (VRI): Provides on-demand access to 240 languages, including American Sign Language 24/7, when a patient and health-care provider meet in person.
Interpreting services during virtual health visits: A provider can submit a request to Provincial Language Service to have an interpreter that connects to their one-to-one or group virtual health visit.
Closed captioning during Zoom for Healthcare virtual health visits: Option for automatic live transcription, or professional captioners/transcribers are available.

Learn more about the above virtual communication tools in this infographic, and learn how to book these services for patients on the Provincial Language Service webpage.

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