Dylan Harris of St. John’s attributes the virtual emergency department to saving his life after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. (Martin Jones / CBC)
After waiting for hours in the emergency room without finding an explanation for his condition, a man from St. John thanked a virtual clinic for saving his life.
Dylan Harris had been experiencing headaches and eclipses for months, often caused by sneezing or coughing, which could happen anywhere, anytime.
“Just sneezing or coughing will lead to a total eclipse. For example, he just disappeared. “It happened while I was driving on the highway, I just sneezed and then I’m not going to drive 100 miles an hour on the Pitts Memorial Drive,” Harris told CBC News.
“It happened once and you kind of said, ‘That was pretty weird,’ and then within a day or two it happened again.”
The eclipse brought Harris and his wife Dominic to the emergency department of the St. John’s Center for Health Sciences. But the backlog of patients has led to a long wait, which has led to no answers – only uncertainty about what the future will look like.
“It’s my favorite band [Tragically] Hip. Proud Downey died of end-stage brain cancer. No matter who you are, that’s where your mind goes. 100 percent. It’s hard not to do it, “he said.
WATCH Dylan Harris tells CBC’s Henrike Wilhelm how a virtual clinic meeting changed his life:
The virtual clinic saved my life, says the man from St. John
Dylan Harris learned he had a cystic brain tumor. He tells Henrik Wilhelm of the CBC how a virtual meeting turned his life around.
Shortly after his visit to the emergency room, Harris turned to a virtual clinic run by Dr. Todd Young in Springdale. After a series of tests, meetings and about six to eight weeks, he learned that he had a tumor with a cystic mass the size of an egg in his brain.
Harris and his partner Dominic say virtual care can help people who don’t have a family doctor. (Martin Jones / CBC)
“If I hadn’t been diagnosed, I would probably have died while driving, really soon,” Harris said.
“I just met Young face to face last week and he said the same thing … That could be the end of it.”
Harris has since undergone successful surgery to remove the tumor and is now recovering.
I think it opens a whole new path for many people. – Dominic Harris
Young says Harris’ story highlights tensions across the province when it comes to waiting time in the emergency room.
More than 125,000 people in Newfoundland and Labrador do not have a family doctor, according to the provincial medical association, prompting more people to go to the hospital for help.
“I think there is a common denominator in most emergency rooms now that there are extended waiting times for patients,” Young said Thursday.
“In Dylan’s story, sitting in the emergency room at the Center for Health Sciences for an extended period of time with the symptoms he had probably didn’t have to wait that long.”
The Harris family say they are grateful to have had the option of virtual care.
Dr. Todd Young runs a medical clinic in Springdale and owns Medicuro Virtual Health. (Colleen Connors / CBC)
“The continuity of care and the fact that you can build a relationship with your patients, even though it’s done in practice, is amazing. “I think it’s opening up a whole new path for a lot of people,” Dominic said.
It is important that the virtual care service continues to grow in the province, Young said. Although it is not the same as face-to-face interaction with a doctor or nurse practitioner, he said, it can be a valuable tool in places with staffing problems.
“This is not about replacing family doctors, this is not about replacing emergency departments,” he said.
“Virtual is a good option, but I think excellent virtual video care, where we can definitely do better ratings and things like that, adds a more viable, professional and confident option.”
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