User Spotlight: Dr. Nancy Li

This month we were able to catch up with Dr. Nancy Li to see how she and her patients have benefited through her use of Alethea platform. Dr. Li has been using Alethea at the Imagine Health Centres Downtown Clinic since last October. As one of our most active physicians, we wanted to ask Dr. Li more about what features she uses the most, how she uses them, and if she has any advice for our other users. We hope that these notes from Dr. Li are interesting and useful to you, as you continue using the platform!

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Q: How do you benefit through the use of the Alethea platform?

A: I am very impressed with the timely and helpful replies from the specialists, which help me with patient care. Recently, Dr. Livingstone went above and beyond with a case I consulted him on. With his advise and help, I was able to arrange appropriate workup and referrals to make a timely diagnosis for my patient.

Q: How do your patients benefit through your use of the Alethea platform? Do they like it?

A: My patients really appreciate getting specialist advise within days on issues that otherwise could have taken them months(!) to be seen through the traditional referral process. My patients also appreciate that in situations where they do need to be seen in person, their appointments are booked in a very timely manner.

Q: Which features of the platform have you found most helpful in ensuring your patients get the best and most efficient care possible?

A: I mostly use the photos/videos option on the phone provided to me and then I use the online portal to send referrals.

Q: Have you found specific use-cases where the Alethea app and online portal have been particularly helpful?

A: Yes! The ENT case I mentioned in the first question, is a great example. In general, I find the app and online portal very helpful for dermatological cases.

Q: Have you used other eConsult platforms in the past? Can you speak to any advantages Alethea presents over these other platforms?

A: I have used other web based consult services in the past. I found that attaching photos onto the website took many steps, and it often took much longer to get a reply from their specialist. The specialists were also mostly based out of Edmonton so they could not offer in person assessments for my Calgary patients when needed.

Q: Can you estimate how many of your patients have avoided waiting to see a specialist in person, due to the information provided from the specialists through the platform?

A: 60-70%

Q: Which specialties do you send eConsults to the most? Why?

A: My most used specialty is Derm, as it’s very easy to take a photo of a rash or mole that the patient is presenting with. My second used is ENT. Since the wait time to see general ENT in person in Calgary is so long (my patient was told 2 years(!) from one clinic), getting advice from ENT can be very helpful.

Q: Are there specific tools or features that have saved you a significant amount of time?

A: I like that the photos and videos taken on the phone provided to me are automatically transferred onto the online portal, which is what I use to send the referrals.

Q: Is there anything else you would like to share with our users that you think may help them get the most out of the Alethea platform? Any tips or tricks?

A: Initially, I was using the phone to send my referrals. I then learned about the online portal which has saved me so much time!

Q: Would you recommend Alethea to a friend or colleague? Can you tell us why?

A: 100% yes! It allows you to receive timely specialist advise to help with patient care while also getting paid.

We would like to thank Dr. Li for taking the time to chat with us, and for her continued use of the platform.

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