1) The Royal Children’s Hospital Telehealth Program
The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) is the major specialist paediatric hospital in Victoria with care extending to children across Victoria, Tasmania, southern New South Wales and beyond. In 2011 the RCH began offering telehealth video consultations, where it might be a better option than travelling to the RCH for the child and family.
Information on the program outcomes include the following documents:
- Experiences in engaging clinicians in telehealth (2013 RCH)
- Governance of a telehealth program in a tertiary hospital (2013 RCH)
- Is telehealth acceptable for highly complex paediatric patients (2013 RCH)
To read more about the RCH program, see this article in the RACP News, or visit the RCH website here. The program is also discussed in this article from the Sydney Morning Herald.
In the following video, Josh and Ann Marree explain the benefits of a telehealth service to access Sub Specialist services at the Royal Children’s Hospital Melbourne from their place of residence.
2) The Transalpine Health Service Model
On the West Coast of New Zealand’s South Island, the Transalpine Health Service aims to provide safe, high-quality care as close to home as possible for the rural West Coast community. The Health Service is a joint initiative between the West Coast and Canterbury District Health Boards, and the use of Telehealth enables clients to consult with Christchurch-based specialists, without having to travel.
The article below provides a good summary of some of the key features of the Transalpine model
In the following video, Liaison Paediatrician Dr John Garrett discusses how he uses Telehealth to consult with clients on the West Coast.
