technology
Part of the bigger picture
Royal Commission recommendations are missing a holistic view of telehealth .
By Sylvia Pfeiffer
The Aged Care Royal Commission report offers a glimmer of hope into fixing our aged care system . While a large part of the report focuses on the quality of care and support delivered by nurses and carers that have physical contact with older people , several recommendations aim to improve the quality of medical care through telehealth . It ’ s evident the Government is now taking this matter seriously and finally listening to older people , their families and workers .
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION The summary of the report states that “ telehealth is a means of avoiding the potential harm and distress for frail older people caused by travel to receive medical care ”. This recognises that older people , no matter where they live , are finding it difficult to access medical care without travelling and this simple act can cause harm .
While subsidised specialist telehealth services are currently available to people living in residential aged care , they ’ re not to those who access aged care from their homes , unless they live in remote Australia or access an Aboriginal Medical Service .
Recommendation 63 addresses this point , and requires the Australian Government to expand access to Medicare Benefits Schedule-funded specialist telehealth services to older people receiving personal care at home , and requires aged care
providers delivering care to have the necessary equipment as well as clinically and culturally capable staff to support telehealth services by 1 November 2021 .
This is an important step in the right direction because many older people have trouble travelling to receive medical care – regardless of where they live . And specialists like oncologists , cardiologists and neurologists rarely make house calls so travel tends to be a requirement to access this care .
Requiring aged care providers to make available the necessary equipment and staff to receive telehealth is a positive step towards future-proofing the healthcare sector through digital transformation .
LIMITED TO MEDICAL SPECIALISTS However , one of the most concerning gaps in this recommendation is limiting it to medical specialists only . Throughout the pandemic we ’ ve seen the widespread adoption of telehealth by GPs and allied health practitioners . Last year , a total
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We simply can ’ t wait another decade to make video telehealth standard practice .
of 43 million telehealth consultations took place across Australia , with many millions of these keeping our elders safe by reducing the risk of exposure and potential infection from in-person consultations . Limiting this recommendation to specialists only is missing a trick . Surely , the delivery of GP and allied health services via telehealth is just as important in reducing exposure to harm as is specialist consultations . In fact , video telehealth for these primary care services may even lead to more timely access to care as older people can often struggle to find a carer to take them to the GP , the physiotherapist , the dietitian , the dentist or the psychologist .
WE ’ RE THINKING TOO SLOWLY Another area that is lacking is the overhaul of the primary care model . Recommendation 56 refers to telehealth as part of the new primary care model that the government is suggested to trial for six to 10 years . However , the pandemic has given us more than enough data to confirm that telehealth as a primary care strategy works for providing timely , clinically adequate and outcomeoriented care .
Throughout the pandemic , telehealth has proven its value to the industry , consumers and healthcare practitioners alike – with a whopping 97 per cent of Aussie GPs now using telehealth to provide healthcare services , compared to just 15 per cent before the pandemic . We simply can ’ t wait another decade to make video telehealth standard practice for delivering healthcare to our elders .
Video telehealth directly addresses existing issues around a lack of timely access to GPs and allied health practitioners when and where needed as well as for those with reduced mobility , while addressing language barriers and geographic limitations . Telehealth also plays a key role in supporting the mental health of patients . Running this experiment for up to another decade is simply thinking too slowly .
In a bid to expand access to subsidised telehealth services and ensure providers have the necessary equipment and capable staff to support it , telehealth must be holistically integrated into the aged care system , something which is missing from the recommendations . If video telehealth is integrated comprehensively , we ’ ll have the ability to enhance healthcare delivery and outcomes for older Australians , upskill and reduce time and work pressures on residential aged care workers , and enable more clinicians to service more of our ageing population . The implementation of funding arrangements to offset costs for patients would further bolster the system and alleviate the financial pressure felt by many senior Australians and pensioners . The future of healthcare truly is a hybrid approach where patients can choose between in-person or virtual care options according to their needs and preferences . And while physical consultations are still vital , video telehealth can play a key role in helping make healthcare more accessible to older communities and directly impact how we access healthcare in the future . While the Aged Care Commission recommendations are a step in the right direction , we need to start thinking outside the box as we plan for our digital future , and ultimately , protect an ageing population . ■
Dr Silvia Pfeiffer is CEO and co-founder of Coviu .