Telephone health used by half a million. (Health).TORONTO -- More than half a million calls have been made to Telehealth Ontario since the 24-hour, seven-days-a-week service was launched in February 2001. About 14 per cent of callers were referred to a hospital emergency department as non-urgent patients, most often because they did not have a family physician or clinic available. Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care long-term care (LTC), n the provision of medical, social, and personal care services on a recurring or continuing basis to persons with chronic physical or mental disorders. reports show that: * almost 40 per cent were repeat callers, * about one-third were advised to visit their physician, * about 40 per cent of calls concerned those 15 years of age * the top five reasons for calls seeking advice were nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain Abdominal pain can be one of the symptoms associated with transient disorders or serious disease. Making a definitive diagnosis of the cause of abdominal pain can be difficult, because many diseases can result in this symptom. Abdominal pain is a common problem. , fever in children between three months and three years, cough cough, sudden, forceful expiration of air from the lungs caused by an involuntary contraction of the muscles controlling the process of breathing. The cough is a response to some irritating condition such as inflammation or the presence of mucus (sputum) in the and cold, and rash. Most of the calls seeking health information were about topics such as childhood communicable diseases communicable diseases, illnesses caused by microorganisms and transmitted from an infected person or animal to another person or animal. Some diseases are passed on by direct or indirect contact with infected persons or with their excretions. , vaccinations and fever. Callers speak to a registered nurse who may answer questions, help decide whether to administer self-care, provide phone numbers of community agencies or recommend a visit to a doctor or hospital emergency department. Besides English, the most requested languages are French, Cantonese and Mandarin Mandarin (măn`dərĭn) [Port. mandar=to govern, or from Malay mantri=counselor of state], a high official of imperial China. For each of the nine grades there was a different colored button worn on the dress cap. . 416-327-4327 |
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