Video Call use cases
Common use case scenarios for healthdirect Video Call
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GP attending specialist appointments with a patient or a case conference via video
Patient location
- At home
- At GP surgery
- At community centre
Clinician location
- At GP surgery (with patient, or patient is at home)
Other attendees may be
- Specialist in hospital
- Other hospital clinicians, for example occupational health
- Family member or carer
Benefits
- GPs keep up to date regarding the treatment and care of their patients.
- Consultation/case conference with multiple participants in different locations
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Out of hours GP care
Patient location
- At home
- Other location
Clinician location
- At GP surgery
- At home – either working at home or on call.
Other attendees may be
- Out of hours triage nurse, if required
- Family member or carer
Benefits
- Avoid over-crowded Emergency Departments
- Prevent avoidable hospital admissions after hours
- Save travel for GPs and patients
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Emergency triage services
Patient location
- At home
- At GP surgery / community centre
- With paramedic
- Other location
Clinician location
- Hospital/clinic
- Nurse/doctor at home on call
Other attendees may be
- Ambulance paramedics
- GP
- Family member or carer
Benefits
- Ambulance staff can access emergency department clinicians to help determine appropriate care for patients
- Referrals can be made and medications prescribed
- Discharge summaries can be sent to patient’s GP
- Keeps a high percentage of patients out of over-crowded emergency departments
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Psychology – mental health plans
Patient location
- At home/work
- At GP
- At community centre
Clinician location
- Psychologist’s clinic (which may be some distance from the client’s location)
- Working at home
Other attendees may be
- GP who set up mental health plan referral can attend or consult with mental health professional
- Family member or carer
Benefits
- Safe, secure, private solution for psychologists or other mental health professionals
- Client can be flexible about when and where they attend appointments
- Addresses issue of lack of rural and remote psychologists and psychiatrists
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Aged care assessments
Older Australian's location
- At home
- RACF;
- At community centre
Health service provider location
- Assessor and other health professionals avoid travel and could be in the office/ working at home
Other attendees may be (in different locations)
- Other health professionals
- Family member or carer
- Interpreter
Benefits
- Saves cost of the assessor and other health professionals travelling to older person’s location
- Frees up time of assessors – which can be a significant portion of their working day.
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Aged care Consultations
Older Australian's location
- RACF
- At home
- At GP practice (if seeing doctor at their practice and having a consultation with a specialist via Video Call).
Clinician location
- GP at their practice
- Specialist in specialist rooms and allied health staff at work
Other attendees may be
- RACF Nurse
- Carer
- Family member or carer
- Interpreter
Benefits
- Older Australians in RACFs can access their doctors, specialists, Allied Health professionals and after hours health services without needing to travel.
- Clinicians can provide timely care without traveling to many locations to see patients in RACFs
- RACFs in more remote locations can access healthcare easily for their residents
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Aboriginal Health
Patient location
- At home
- At community centre
- At ACCHO with health worker
Clinician location
- GP surgery
- Hospital specialist
- Other clinic
Other attendees may be
- Patient would usually be supported by a health worker for the consultation
- Family member or carer (in another location)
- Appointment may be with community nurses or a hospital specialist
Benefits
- Indigenous Australians living in remote areas have access to all health services
- Example of hearing clinics for aboriginal children, where city-based ENT specialist can consult with patient and health worker in rural areas
- Example of Aboriginal family birthing program clinic
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Primary care multi-disciplinary teams / Integrated care
Patient Location
- At home
- At GP surgery
- At community centre
- At RACF
Clinician Location
- At surgery / integrated care centre
- Other location
Other Attendees May be
- Allied health
- Community health
- Specialists
Benefits
- Teams that are separated geographically can see patients together or organise case conferences, avoiding travel
- Avoids patient having an individual Video Call with each team
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Health literacy sessions e.g. diabetes
Patient Location
- At home
- At GP surgery
- At community centre
Clinician Location
- Health worker could be in the office, at home or a clinic
Other Attendees May be
- Patient group, family members and carers could take part in sessions
Benefits
- Health worker can share documents on the screen
- Saves travel time for health worker
- Rural and remote patients can meet others and save travel time
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Interpreter services
Patient Location
- At home
- At GP surgery
- At community centre
Clinician Location
- At clinic/surgery with patient, or patient can be at home
Other Attendees May be
- Interpreter would join the call by video at the appointed time
- Family member or carer(in another location)
Benefits
- Interpreters can spend a significant portion of their day traveling – telehealth saves travel time and increases productivity
- Access to a wide variety of languages via Australian interpreter and translation services
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Maternity - Antenatal/post-natal
Patient Location
- At home
- At community centre
- Mum and/or baby
Clinician Location
- GP surgery
- Community health clinic
Other Attendees May be
Professionals who can provide advice by video to assist parents with questions about:- Pregnancy
- Birth
- Babies
Benefits
- Small group antenatal classes.
- Post-natal services – appointment or on-demand
- Patients can be seen by a range of health services including: hospitals, maternal health nurses, GPs and Allied Health professionals
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Palliative Care
Patient Location
- At home with carers
- At residential nursing home or hospice
Clinician Location
- Home (on call)
- Clinic
Other Attendees May be
- Carers and relatives,
- GP e.g. out of hours
Benefits
- Telephone palliative care lines provide expert nursing support, however sometimes being able to see the patient and carer may offer advantages and greater support.
- Recommendation 6 in Going Digital to deliver a healthier Australia: Develop a telehealth support service for improving end of life care in rural and remote area
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Dental
Patient Location
- At home
- At community centre
- At dentist rooms
Clinician Location
- In clinic
- At home (on call/out of hours)
Other Attendees May be
- Case conferences between dental professionals
- Family member or carer
- Interpreter
Benefits
- Improve oral health in adults and children especially in vulnerable and underserved populations. Appropriate when patient cannot be moved, need is urgent, etc.
- Consultations with specialists, sharing data and imaging.
- Interpreter attending via telehealth while the patient is being seen – tablet or other device to provide interpreter service.
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Allied Health
Patient Location
- At home
- At GP / community centre
- At clinic
Clinician Location
- In rooms
- At home (on call)
- At hospital/community health centre
Other Attendees May be
- GP can attend sessions from another location.
- Family member or carer
Benefits
- Allied health professionals including physiotherapists, occupational health, chiropractors and podiatry can provide remote consultations for patients unable to travel or follow up appointments and assessments.
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Emergency Support (e.g. Drought, Flood, Bushfires, pandemic/epidemic)
Patient Location
- At home, work, outside location
Clinician Location
- In clinic
- At home (on call/out of hours)
Other Attendees May be (in different locations)
- Family member or carer
- Interpreter
Benefits
- National Emergency support capability to support areas affected by drought, flood, bushfires, natural disasters or epidemics/pandemics, as in recent years.
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This is Case Study 15
Patient Location
- At home
- At GP surgery
- At community centre
Patient Location
- At GP surgery (with patient or patient is at home)
Other Attendees May be
- Specialist in hospital Other hospital clinicians, for example occupational health
Benefits
- GPs keep up to date regarding the treatment and care of their patients. GPs can receive payments to attend by video