A week after having part of a cancerous lung removed, Grant Lewis grew concerned that the incision wound on his chest had become infected.The 54-year-old Beamsville construction worker dug out a phone number he had been given when he was discharged from hospital. Call it any time, day or night, if you run into trouble, he was told.Lewis dialed the number and was connected to his nurse, Anna Tran, at St. Joseph’s Healthcare in Hamilton. On her advice, he used his mobile phone to snap a photo of the inflamed and seeping lesion, and then emailed it to her. Almost 40 kilometres away, Tran looked closely at the image on her cellphone. She then forwarded it to the home-care arm of St. Joe’s, along with an email requesting that Lewis be seen that same day for wound care.Within hours of placing the call, Lewis answered a knock at his front door. It was a visiting nurse. She cleaned his wound, changed the dressing, and then updated his medical record on her tablet computer. Tran and the rest of Lewis’ care team at St. Joe’s all had access to his electronic medical record. The home-care nurse’s update assured them all he did not have an infection and was recovering well.This little scenario, which took place in January, provides a glimpse into the future of health care in Ontario, as Health Minister Christine Elliott envisions it.Earlier this week, she announced a massive reform of the health system. Described by observers as the biggest change since medicare was created 50 years ago, the overhaul will see the creation of a super agency known as Ontario Health. Twenty smaller agencies will be dissolved and their functions absorbed into Ontario Health. Up to 50 teams will be formed of health workers from various sectors, including hospitals, home care, long-term care, primary care and mental health care.The sectors have a reputation for being siloed. The weakest parts of the health system are the transfer points between them. Hand-offs can be ...
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