DHBs increase use of telehealth for clinical care

Full Story: eHealthNews.nz - January 2020

A “promising” new telehealth report shows a significant increase in the number of providers and services using telehealth for the delivery of clinical care.

 However, ongoing barriers to uptake and silos of data and knowledge around telehealth means successful pilots have not always translated into business as usual services.

 The 2019 Telehealth Survey updates one published four years ago and shows uptake has increased considerably across all 20 district health boards, with more than 1300 telehealth initiatives either active, in pilot or planned.

 “Many organisations are turning to telehealth as they strive to improve the services they deliver,” the report says.

 “However, uptake of telehealth often relies on local champions and although many barriers have improved (namely interconnectivity and cost) barriers such as lack of clear leadership and governance, difficulty circumnavigating funding models and access to devices and high-speed internet connections remain.”

 Published by the New Zealand Telehealth Leadership Group, the report shows that many more clinical services are using video-based telehealth technologies and all but one DHB is using it for patient consultations.

 “The growth is significant, not only in the number of DHBs, but also in the number of clinical services represented, the frequency of usage and the types of telehealth interactions,” it says.

 Claire Hardie is a radiation oncologist at Palmerston North Hospital and uses video conferencing for first appointments and follow-up appointments with certain patients.

 To read the full article: www.hinz.org.nz/news/487319/DHBs-increase-use-of-telehealth-for-clinical-care.htm