Due to COVID-19, physical distancing has accelerated the need for virtual office platforms. Taryn Zabolotniuk, Year Three ICC student, on hiatus from her clinical duties due to the pandemic, wondered if she could be of help to physicians facing the many challenges during this time. Along with ICC colleagues Emily Ertel and Hamish Frayne, they partnered with the VJH Physician Society to address the pressing need of implementing virtual office solutions. Their goal was to create a simplified guide that synthesized the various webinars, resources, and information coming from Doctors of BC, PHSA, and Interior Health to aid local physicians in choosing and actualizing telemedicine in their offices.
Their Virtual Office Initiative Guide is now available online and offers the essentials for getting started, a detailed comparison of the many telemedicine platforms, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to begin using some top recommended programs. The guide contains what you need to start using telemedicine in your office today and provides an overview of what is available.
For personal assistance, Taryn, as a Doctors Technology Office (DTO) Virtual Care Peer Mentor, is also available to help with individual questions and concerns as physicians continue on this constantly evolving journey. Peer mentors are important partners to facilitate the implementation and uptake of virtual care into BC’s primary care system. They are sponsored by DTO to provide coaching and support to colleagues.
“Please reach out for help with setup, office workflow, e-faxing, sending out mass emails, re-routing your phone calls, or any other virtual care issues,” offers Taryn. Feel free to contact Taryn at taryn.z@alumni.ubc.ca