An excellent share and very relevant to my mahi Aku mihi nui @jon_herries! This particularly resonates:
The acceleration of telehealth was necessary in the short term; however, looking ahead, we must avoid simply digitising old ways of working. Telehealth should not merely replace existing face-to-face consultations, but rather enhance healthcare and the consumer experience. This can be achieved by working with consumers to co-design a digitally enabled future healthcare system that empowers Australians and integrates virtual and traditional healthcare, better connecting individuals to the broader set of factors influencing their health.
This is the reason we do this - make a repository of all those useful things to make searching for them easier
Something that came up yesterday which I think is worthwhile thinking about is that I am really wary of underplaying the equity issues related to existing services – ie. digital has equity issues but so do regular services and I would say they are probably much worse. The evidence I have seen to date supports these services as complementary/additive.
For example, If you go to the doctor regularly it would probably be cheaper to do telehealth when you consider time away from home/work, travel costs and it may be more convenient etc.
Maybe we should be looking at the national travel assistance programme and whether we should be funding devices and internet connections if needed…
In summary, I think the point I would make is that having a digital option as well as in person reduces inequity as it suits those who can’t attend in person. Therefore it reduces the number who can’t participate but that number is not down to zero with telehealth and physical clinics, so there is more work to do.
Aku mihi nui @jon_herries! This particularly resonates:
