Welcome Patients & Families
The Ontario Telemedicine Network (OTN) helps bring health care closer to home for you and your family, anywhere and anytime.
To find a Telemedicine studio in your community, click here.
What is telemedicine?
“Telemedicine” is the delivery of health-related services and information using telecommunications technologies. OTN enables you and your health care professional to see and hear each other via two-way videoconferencing systems and the latest tele-diagnostic instruments like digital stethoscopes and high-resolution patient examination cameras. OTN technology transfers data between users in urban, rural and remote sites across the province.
Why might telemedicine be important to me?
Telemedicine is transforming the way you can receive health care in Ontario by bringing patients and health care professionals face-to-face whether they are many kilometers apart, or just around the corner. This helps eliminate the costs, risks and inconveniences associated with travelling to appointments in other communities. It may also allow a family member or friend to accompany you to your appointment when it would otherwise be impossible to do so.
How does telemedicine compare to seeing my doctor in his office?
Patients who have received care via telemedicine are very satisfied with their appointments. Below are some comments sent to us by patients:
- “The telemedicine visit is just as good as seeing the health care provider in person. I live 100 miles from my health provider. This saves me time, travel and expenses.”
- “Telemedicine is the best thing that has happened in our area”
Learn more about what patients think about telemedicine by reading our Patient Satisfaction Survey results.