Distributed medical programs are unique and complex. Their successful delivery requires not only the smooth integration of audiovisual and information technology, but an understanding of how this technology intersects with academic and clinical environments.

There are a select number of medical programs in Canada that rely heavily on a distributed model. Amongst the staff supporting them you will find professionals who have a deep understanding of the relationship between technology, distributed education, and the medical field. This year, professionals from three of these programs came together to share their technical expertise and develop partnerships that will directly benefit medical program delivery.

Cross-country exchange

In October 2013 technicians from medical programs at UBC, the University of Toronto, and Dalhousie University embarked on a cross-country exchange to share knowledge and foster relationships.

The exchange started with MedIT hosting the participants from Dalhousie University and the University of Toronto. In their week-long visits, they had the opportunity to observe the Faculty of Medicine’s Distributed Medical Program operations in four program sites: Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George and Kelowna.

In the weeks following, MedIT technicians travelled eastward to observe the programs of their peers. A technician from the Vancouver Fraser Medical Program visited the University of Toronto, where he had the opportunity to tour facilities and observe operations at campuses in Toronto and Mississauga. Another technician from the Southern Medical Program visited Dalhousie University, and Dalhousie Medicine New Brunswick (Dalhousie’s distributed site in Saint John).

Physically observing the different programs’ operating environments and having conversations with technical and program staff left the technicians charged with energy and ideas that they brought back to their respective programs.

Distributed medical program technicians travelled across the country to share their expertise and develop partnerships.

Drawing on shared knowledge

The momentum started by the exchange has been maintained through the National Technical Operations Working Group. Representatives from the three programs have been meeting (virtually) on a quarterly basis to share their challenges and solutions – discussing what has worked and what hasn’t in their unique environments.

The Working Group has allowed the Faculty of Medicine to make decisions on software and hardware purchases informed not only by industry literature, but application in a similarly distributed program. Additionally, how that software and hardware is used has been informed by the experiences of other programs. One example is MedIT’s WebEx implementation for the Department of Dermatology, where consultations with Dalhousie University proved extremely valuable.

The relationships established through the exchange have also allowed information to be shared in an ad hoc manner. When MedIT faced challenges with faulty equipment due to unforeseen maintenance needs this summer, technicians were quickly able to share what they learned with Dalhousie University and the University of Toronto. As both programs use similar equipment, the information provided enables them to prevent similar problems and expenses in the future. This kind of open communication will continue to benefit all three programs in terms of forecasting and avoiding future technology challenges.

By fostering these partnerships, MedIT is investing in informed technology decision making and planning methods that will improve the quality and efficiency of medical program delivery.

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• Sharing knowledge across Canada to improve medical program delivery
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Working closely with our customers, MedIT’s audiovisual technicians see the technology challenges and opportunities of daily operations in the Faculty of Medicine. Being natural problem solvers, they frequently come up with ideas for solutions. Yet, in the past it was sometimes difficult to move these ideas into reality given the time demands of supporting day-to-day operations.

This year MedIT created a new team to help guide the best of these ideas into fruition. Called Systems, Services and Design, the team is dedicated to driving the direction of our Collaboration Technologies portfolio and allows MedIT to take a proactive and nimble approach to delivering technology service improvements to address our customers’ needs. They collect, vet and prioritize ideas; researching and delivering the most promising ones. Through their dedicated focus on continuous improvement, the team is helping to better enable staff, educators, and researchers to perform the collaborative work that allows the Faculty of Medicine to meet its mandate.

Thinking in layers

Layers of thought that contribute to effective collaboration.

The team is composed of experts who know what makes collaboration technologies (e.g. videoconferencing, human patient simulation web-based conferencing) work. One team member is an infrastructure expert, who understands the way information moves through the videoconference network. Another team member knows exactly how to optimize a Faculty of Medicine videoconference space, from sound to visual design. The third team member is involved with the entire scope of service design and delivery, understanding the interdependencies between them. The fourth is actively developing the area of human patient simulation technology, inline with the uptick in interest and investment in simulation technology across the province.

When they come together their deep knowledge in each area allows ideas to be quickly built upon, drawn apart, or dismissed.

Experiments and efficiencies

While all ideas presented to or generated by the team are explored to some extent, not all of them reach our customers. Further industry research can reveal that some ideas simply aren’t feasible based on current technology in the Faculty of Medicine. Other ideas seem to work in theory, but don’t hold up in test environments. Ultimately, it is better for an idea to fail in these “safe spaces” because the time and financial investment are a small fraction of the cost had the faulty idea been put forward as a full project or made live for customers.

Although the team may see some ideas fall flat, the ones they select to pursue and promote result in a reduced costs and increased efficiencies for the Faculty of Medicine. The team is currently looking into new designs to replace old, expensive systems. With new, more flexible technologies, and some creativity on the team’s part, these new designs will costs less to purchase and maintain, and provide a better collaboration experience for our customers. Examples of this include the web-based videoconferencing room created for the Department of Dermatology, and the digital whiteboard solution for the Residency Group for Internal Medicine at Royal Columbian Hospital.

The team also has a close relationship with UBC IT in order to ensure technology pursuits in the Faculty of Medicine and at UBC as a whole are aligned.

Looking forward

The Systems, Services and Design team is developing a five year roadmap for collaboration technology needs in the Faculty of Medicine. The roadmap will identify areas of research necessary to develop cost-effective technological tools that can be used to solve the Faculty’s challenges around real-time communication across the province.

By mapping out the long-term collaboration technology needs for the Faculty, the team will be able to forecast the most prudent use of technology resources in order to support the Faculty in its mandate.

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• MedIT finds new technology solution to meet evolving program needs
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