Telehealth

Telehealth is broadly defined by the Department of Health and Social Services as "the process of using information and communications technologies to deliver health and social service information, services and expertise over short and long distance". In the past, faxes and telephones were the best means of transferring health information to and from remote communities, but with the advances in technology, telehealth services now include:

interactive video systems; and
high-speed computer networks that transfer medical data and virtual reality applications.

The Department, in partnership with HSS Authorities, specialists and southern hospitals, is using telehealth services to:

improve access to health services for people in remote communities;
support doctors and health care providers to use technology to access peer information and medical education; and
improve the efficiency of specialized health services within the NWT.

The following links provide further information on telehealth services in the NWT: