Mental Health consultations Video consultations are used frequently in the mental health sector, with benefits for clinicians and patients going far beyond saving travel time.  healthdirect Video Call overcomes many logistical difficulties of face-to-face consultations:   Short check-ups and multi-disciplinary consultations are easier to arrange.   Patients who struggle to attend physical appointments, live in rural or remote areas or are under restrictions (for example in secure facilities) have greater access to professional mental health services.  Patients gain control over the consultation environment and have the reassurance of using a secure and private platform to discuss their mental health concerns.

Case Study: headspace

Established in 2006, headspace provides early intervention mental health services for 12-25 year olds. healthdirect Video Call is part of everyday practice at headspace, connecting young people with mental health concerns to appropriate mental health professionals. 

Psychiatrist for headspace, Dr Dave Cutts, values the simplicity and ease of use of healthdirect Video Call.  

“My first impression of healthdirect Video Call was that it worked really well. I remember being impressed with the quality of the connection and the reliability,” says Dr Cutts. 

“The technology should be invisible for the person at the far end, it should be primarily about facilitating the interaction and connecting with the patient. healthdirect Video Call is the platform I use out of preference in my private practice, along with the work I do for headspace,” he adds.  

Video consulting overcomes logistical difficulties 

headspace started using healthdirect Video Call to deliver one-to-one patient/clinician consultations where distance was a barrier to care.  

Deb Hopwood, National Telehealth Manager for headspace, explains. “Video consultations provide the means for young people who live in rural and remote Australia to have access to a psychiatrist.” 

Dr Cutts shares his own experiences. “At the patient level, video consulting has heaps of advantages. I can see people in remote and rural locations who would have to drive a long way to see a psychiatrist, and in some cases it allows me to see people a bit sooner. Occasionally, I even video in to places where there is something like a flood and I wouldn't have been able to get there physically. 

“Some people are just too anxious to get out of their houses, but they will do a video consultation. Young people are comfortable with the technology and seem to find it less confronting than a face-to-face consultation. Being at a distance provides a sense of protection. I suspect there are a number of reasons why people would attend a video consultation rather than a face-to-face consultation,” Dr Cutts adds. 

healthdirect Video Call has been invaluable, allowing consultations with patients to go ahead via video, ensuring equity of access for all, including those who are physically unwell and people who would otherwise have the barrier of distance or time.   

“Sometimes I say to my patients, ‘don’t worry, we can both cough as much as we like as we’re not in each other’s space,’” he says.  

Video consulting technology delivers efficiencies for a range of appointment types, such as including other health professionals in multi-disciplinary case reviews and doing short check-ins with patients who are at risk or need additional support. Dr Cutts also finds healthdirect Video Call extremely useful for weekly clinical meetings with colleagues located in other parts of the country. 

“We share screens so we can see electronic medical records while we discuss a case,” he explains. 

Confidential sessions put patients at ease 

Maintaining privacy and confidentiality is of the utmost importance for mental health consultations. The  privacy and security of healthdirect Video Call and the way the platform has been designed to leave no digital footprint is very important in reassuring mental health patients they can freely express themselves during a consultation. 

Dr Cutts begins each video consultation by making sure the patient is comfortable and informed.  

“I start with a blurb about who I am and where I am. I let them know my door is closed, I’m by myself, the session isn’t being recorded and reassure them about the confidentiality of the platform,” says Dr Cutts. 

Setting up the video consultation

When set up correctly, healthdirect Video Call works seamlessly, allowing for an uninterrupted consultation. This is critical when treating sensitive mental health issues.  

headspace requests that patients do a  pre-call test  before their video consultations, to make sure they have the right tools on their device (browser, internet connection, microphone and camera) and that everything is working.  

“Some people do it, some don’t,” Deb says. “The ones who do as requested are fine. The ideal is that the young person has an uninterrupted consultation to achieve the best possible outcome.” 

“People overthink video consultations, but they’re not difficult. It’s just core clinical skills in a different environment,” adds Dr Cutts. 

More information

Browse the rest of the  Resource Centre for how-to information about healthdirect Video Call. 

The Royal Australian & New Zealand College of Psychiatry has many valuable telehealth resources.

Disability service consultations For people living with disabilities, video consultations can improve access to a range of different treatments and models of care.   healthdirect Video Call allows patients, carers and health professionals to attend appointments from wherever is most convenient and makes it easier for teams of clinicians to collaborate in patient care. Key benefits of the platform for disability services include:  Continuity of care and multidisciplinary care are supported. Appointment length and type are more flexible. Communication is simplified with built-in platform tools.

Case Study: Cerebral Palsy Alliance

Established in 1945, Cerebral Palsy Alliance (CPA) provides therapy, life skills programs, equipment and support for people affected by cerebral palsy and other neurological and physical disabilities. 

CPA started using healthdirect Video Call for patient therapy in 2019 but really ramped up usage with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated local lockdowns in order to continue providing services.  

Michele Rooney is a client services coordinator at CPA. “When the pandemic hit we had a lot of very nervous and anxious clients who were worried about their children’s health, but we quickly found using healthdirect Video Call was a great solution to a big problem. Our confidence grew week by week because we could see positive results,” Michele says. 

CPA has done more than 25,000 consultations via healthdirect Video Call and have more than 380 service providers providing healthcare to CPA clients via the platform – this tremendous success led to CPA adopting healthdirect Video Call as part of ongoing everyday service delivery. 

Video Call supports continuity of care 

Claire Smart is a physiotherapist with CPA. Claire likes that healthdirect Video Call facilitates uninterrupted treatment despite changing circumstances.  

“One patient’s family has been in lockdown for a very long time as he’s been having chemotherapy, but he can still continue his physiotherapy from home or from hospital using healthdirect Video Call. Another family with twins moved interstate but didn’t have a physiotherapist lined up. It was easy to continue their therapy via healthdirect Video Call until they found a new therapist,” explains Claire. 

healthdirect Video Call allows up to six different parties to be in the same call. “It’s great for chatting to the whole family or including doctors or other therapists. There is much better communication between the team,” Claire says. 

Providing flexible appointment options 

At CPA, each new client attends an initial intake meeting which can take up to 1.5 hours. Prior to 2020, these were always conducted in-person.  

“healthdirect Video Call is now our preferred and recommended method for the initial intake meeting. It saves time for the client while still allowing us to see their face, which tells us so much,” Michele explains.  

Christine Vasiliou is an occupational therapist with CPA. Christine enjoys that healthdirect Video Call is well suited to shorter, more frequent sessions, something not always possible when people travel to attend.   

“We used to always do a minimum one-hour session when people had to travel, to make it worth the trip, but with a video consultation we can do a half-hour appointment if that’s what suits the person’s goals,” says Christine. 

Claire has been particularly impressed doing physiotherapy for babies via healthdirect Video Call. 

“Parents take on the hands-on therapy role with my instruction and it is great as it builds their confidence to do it themselves. Families love not having to get kids ready to travel to a therapy session. It saves them so much time,” Claire says. 

Michele has a fourteen-year-old daughter, Sienna, with cerebral palsy and has witnessed the uptake of healthdirect Video Call from the perspectives of both a service provider and carer. “As a parent I am now a very strong advocate of healthdirect Video Call. My daughter loves being on the screen and loves being online. All her speech therapy is now via video consulting and her occupational therapy and physiotherapy sessions are alternating – one in-person, one using healthdirect Video Call.”   

The new normal is becoming a mixed mode of practice, with the situation determining whether a video consultation or in-person consultation is most appropriate. 

Preparing for a video consultation and using the platform effectively 

Preparation is key to success. Set up correctly, healthdirect Video Call technology works seamlessly, facilitating an uninterrupted session.  

Claire says, “I let parents know before a session what we’ll need – a rolled up towel, a few coins and a ball. It’s good to have a written action plan that everyone can follow.” 

“Using healthdirect Video Call makes it easy for me to take screen shots to include in the client’s home plan for the following fortnight,” she adds. 

Christine finds that using Video Call supports a more efficient workflow.  

“It’s easy to write notes during the video consultation and attend to any follow ups afterwards because you already have your computer up and running. I use multiple screens so I can see my client on one screen and access other resources and share information from the other screen,” Christine says.  

The platform has a range of in-built tools which make it simple to communicate with clients or incorporate different mediums in a session such as a chatbox, presentation slides or even a YouTube video. Ahead of a session, configurable audio messages allow communication with clients in the healthdirect Video Call virtual waiting room.  

“I use screen sharing quite a bit and the whiteboard is really good for explaining physiotherapy concepts or simply playing noughts and crosses with a client. I’ve also developed some interactive PowerPoint slides, where the client chooses one and that tells them what the next exercise is,” says Claire. 

More information 

Browse the rest of the Resource Centre for how-to information about healthdirect Video Call. 

General Practice consultations

Video consultations are becoming more commonplace in Australian general practice, with telephony remaining the dominant telehealth medium. As more patients and doctors become comfortable using video consulting platforms and realise the advantages of remotely delivered face-to-face appointments, usage can be expected to increase. 

Video consulting facilitates comprehensive GP appointments, ensuring remote delivery of health care is still high-quality health care in appropriate circumstances.

healthdirect Video Call offers a range of practical advantages to patients, doctors and clinics:   The platform mimics the in-person appointment process via a virtual waiting room and virtual consulting room.  Remote (indirect) examination by observation and with patient assistance. Reviews and multi-disciplinary consultations are more practical to conduct when clinicians and patients can attend remotely. Patients who struggle to attend in-person appointments, have difficulties with mobility or transport, live in rural or remote areas, or are under restrictions such as local lockdowns can still access a GP.

Case Study: Dr Andrew Baird, General Practitioner

Dr Andrew Baird is a general practitioner based in Victoria, with more than 30 years’ experience in general practice, rural medicine and medical education. Dr Baird is a strong advocate for the use of video consulting in general practice. 

“Video is a new paradigm and GPs have not yet worked out where it belongs, as it is an alternative to in-person consultations. Video actually presents opportunities for GP-patient interaction which would not be possible in person or on the phone.” 

“Video consulting is easy, especially if GPs use one of the platforms that has been designed specifically for use in clinical practice and is secure, such as healthdirect Video Call,” says Dr Baird.

Video consulting supports access to care

Video consulting supports many disadvantaged groups to access health care, including people with mental health concerns, people with mobility issues, people who lack transport and people experiencing financial or emotional hardships. 

“Video consulting may improve equity of access to general practice for many people,” says Dr Baird.

healthdirect Video Call provides an option to use captions for the hearing impaired or for transcription, and interpreters can be included in video calls. 

Dr Baird believes that patients are more likely to keep an appointment when it is by video due to the convenience, accessibility and reduced transport costs. Some patients may feel more comfortable attending their appointment from home, rather than in a GP clinic.

“All Australians should be able to access a GP by video. It really is up to GPs to adopt the technology and make it available to their patients,” Dr Baird states. 

Comprehensive face-to-face appointments

Video consultations are the next best thing to having a patient in the consulting room. While they do not allow for a direct physical examination, they do allow the GP to observe and interact with the patient in ways not possible over the phone, facilitating a comprehensive consultation in a range of situations. Patient assisted examination, using equipment or physical movements, is also facilitated. 

 “The video consultation enables an indirect examination which can often achieve the goals of the direct, in-person examination,” says Dr Baird. 

Video consulting allows rapport to be built with patients, much the same as with in-person consultations. The GP and the patient can observe and respond to each other’s gestures, facial expressions and non-verbal cues. 

“Once you’ve been introduced to a patient’s dog during a video consultation, rapport escalates to gold standard plus", says Dr Baird. 

In-built infection control

Video consulting removes the risk of infection transmission for everyone involved when a patient attends an in-person consultation – the GP, the patient, clinic staff, other attending patients and people who would be encountered as the patient travels to and from their appointment. 

“Removing the risk of infection is a critical consideration when treating vulnerable patients,” says Dr Baird.  

For patients with, or suspected of having, COVID-19, video consulting removes infection risk by enabling remote assessment, management and monitoring.

healthdirect Video Call mimics the in-person appointment process

healthdirect Video Call is simple to set up, and the patient flow aligns with the in-person appointment process. Using a device connected to the internet, patients click a unique link to enter a virtual waiting area. To begin the appointment, the GP simply joins the video call - this activates a secure consultation space. 

During the video call, the GP and the patient can share and exchange documents, investigation requests, patient information and images. healthdirect Video Call has whiteboard and webchat features for sharing diagrams and notes – these tools assist in communicating health information to the patient.

Prescriptions can be delivered electronically to the patient, streamlining the prescribing process. Referrals to specialists can be sent using a range of secure clinical programs. 

When the appointment is complete, the patient or GP can end the video call, or the GP can connect the patient with reception for payments, checking personal details and making future appointments. No record of the video call or patient data is retained after the appointment - healthdirect Video Call is a secure, private platform and all calls are fully encrypted.

“Video consultations are safe, acceptable to patients, and acceptable to clinicians. Their outcomes are equivalent to in-person consultation outcomes”, says Dr Baird. 

Appropriateness of video consultations

Not all care given by GPs can or should be provided via video. Emergencies, a requirement for direct physical examination, a requirement for a procedure, no consent from the patient or an unsatisfactory audiovisual connection are all situations where video consulting is contraindicated. 

More information

Browse the rest of the Resource Centre for how-to information about healthdirect Video Call.