Telemedicine with the Minister of Health
Minister of Health and Care Services Bent Høie visited ConocoPhillips at Tananger in April to hear about the company’s operating model featuring integrated operations – and the use of telemedicine.
A passionate Minister of Health and Care Services visited the company to be informed about the use of integrated operations, with emphasis on offshore telemedicine. ConocoPhillips is a trailblazer as regards digital medical communications tools, which provide quicker and more reliable diagnoses of illnesses. It also leads to a reduction in the number of offshore personnel sent home.Safer health situation
The Minister, accompanied by a small entourage from the Ministry and local Stavanger politicians, was welcomed by Steinar Våge, ConocoPhillips’ President Europe. The Minister was informed about the operating model for the Greater Ekofisk Area and the company’s use of communication technology. The use of modern telemedicine has given North Sea workers a safer offshore health situation.
Telemedicine is still in an early phase, but has vast opportunities as regards diagnosis and treatment, as well as efficiency. Diagnoses can be established in direct contact with the company health service on land, as well as the external on-call physician service.
Telemedicine in practice
Regional medical director Europe Tatjana Bergsland (picture) explained how the company uses telemedicine in practice, and showed an example using an otoscope on Ekofisk. ConocoPhillips has also participated in a research project involving ultrasound measurements for the Clinic of Cardiology at St. Olavs Hospital in Trondheim. ConocoPhillips has an ongoing collaboration with the hospital.She also talked about the potential future perspectives of offshore telemedicine, and opportunities to use this within the general health service. In the future, the ambition is for it to be easier to involve specialists via telemedicine. Naturally, this was the Minister of Health’s primary focus, and the delegation that left ConocoPhillips was satisfied.
Bent Høie, Minister of Health and Care Services (left) and Steinar Våge, ConocoPhillips’ President Europe.
Photo: ConocoPhillips/Kjetil Alsvik