Virtual care has been the highlight of Australian healthcare towards the end of 2020. Telehealth and remote monitoring were some of the main platforms by which healthcare units carry out healthcare services during the pandemic.
One of the hardest-hit states is Victoria. The impact of the pandemic on the overall healthcare system of the state necessitates noble solutions which include virtual health. One example is CovidCare—a decision support system that aims to help COVID-19 positive patients in the state. The University of Melbourne led the research and development of CovidCare, which provided substantial support to patients across Australia during the pandemic.
Subsequent eHealth plans and programs began to unfold across the country. NSW confirmed its commitment to developing a new virtual care strategy over the next five years. Its strategy consists of various video conferencing solutions that could give healthcare services to patients at home.
Aside from COVID-19 related virtual health developments, healthcare units began establishing non-COVID applications too. CSIRO’s Australian e-Health Research Centre coordinated with Brisbane’s Metro South Hospital and Service to create a monitoring platform designed specifically for a pregnant woman with gestational diabetes. In Queensland, a similar development is forwarded by Caloundra Health Service. It can cover monitoring applications such as LifeSmart and Accu-check and send back real-time updates to healthcare providers.
With the ongoing developments and progress in the field of e-Health, the Australian Telehealth Society evaluates the effectiveness of the new platform. They wanted to assess the long-term value of such kind of development and its possible effects and drawbacks to the consumers in general.
Furthermore, the Federal Government maintains that it will continue supporting eHealth. Millions worth of investments is on the table to enhance and improve the eHealth capabilities of different healthcare units in the country. It is expected by 2022-2023 that major changes can be manifested in e-health.
Primary Care
Voluntary patient enrolment will be delayed by the Department of Health due to COVID response. The almost $450 million investment is aimed to herald a universal telehealth scheme for patients aged 70 and above and members of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities aged 50 and above.
Although eScripts are in place, third party assessments and lobbying still hinder them from fully functioning. However, states under stage 4 restrictions were encouraged to use them for medicine prescriptions and issuance.
Community Care
Global Health has been rolling out different plans for e-Health specifically for the community and mental health sectors. They signed a contract with Peninsula Health in Victoria to materialise its MasterCare platform and integrate it with DXC’s Ipm patient administration system. It has been effective so far.
Allied Health
HealthEngine and Coviu partnered to establish an integrated telehealth solution for allied health providers. This telehealth solution will be used for efficient and updated appointment booking on the website of HealthEngine.
