Benefits of Remote Medical Consultations for Patients

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What is a remote consultation in general practice?

1. Introduction Remote consultations in general practice can be a very useful form of telemedicine, which is basically a way to exchange medical information to improve the clinical health of patients when the patient and their general practitioner (GP) are not in the same place at the same time ( 1 ).

How can remote consultations improve patient care?

Patient care delivered by telephone and video consultation for suitable patients can be as effective as face-to-face clinic-based consultations for non-referred primary care services. Remote consultations may reduce workload in general practice and improve access to healthcare while maintaining the quality of care.

What is remote patient monitoring?

Remote patient monitoring – monitoring patient health and clinical information at a distance. Store-and-forward – transmission of images or information from one healthcare provider to another. Consultations – connection between a patient and one or more healthcare providers through an audio or video-enabled device.

How should remote consultations be implemented?

The implementation of remote consultations should be gradual and take into consideration patient consent, the principle of confidentiality, protecting the data in any information gathered, and professionalism in a remote virtual consultation ( 13 ).

Will telehealth consultations continue in remote communities?

Some of the MBS arrangements for telehealth consultations (telephone and video) for patients living in remote communities continue (as of 29th November 2022), making it particularly important to understand the implications for their increased use in remote communities.

Can remote consultations improve access and delivery of health care?

For example, asking patients to evaluate remote consultations at a time when no face-to-face consultations were possible is likely to yield a different response to evaluating their acceptability when there is a free choice of service delivery. 2. Conclusion Remote consultations can be seen as a way of improving access and delivery of health care.

What is a telehealth consultation?

In these guidelines, we use the term ‘telehealth consultations’ to refer to consultations that use technology as an alternative to in-person consultations between a patient and a medical practitioner (doctor).1 It can include video, internet or telephone consultations, transmitting digital images and/or data, and prescribing medications.

What Is Remote Medical Consultations

1. https://www.health.gov.au/topics/health-technologies-and-digital-health/about/telehealth
2. https://www.digitalhealth.gov.au/healthcare-providers/initiatives-and-programs/telehealth
3. https://www.ahpra.gov.au/documents/default.aspx?record=WD23%2f32933%5bv2%5d&dbid=AP&chksum=7zFFTXILG9uVdu8aPuOC%2b5kdXLtl1NCmE9YxeHwlDcw%3d
4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9597895/
5. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12913-023-09265-2
6. https://wchh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tre.769
7. https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m3945

Remote Medical Consultations Information

1. https://www.racgp.org.au/clinical-resources/covid-19-resources/telehealth-1/telehealth-guides/guide-to-providing-telephone-and-video-consultatio/principles-for-conducting-telehealth-consultations
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/in-depth/telehealth/art-20044878
3. https://www.remotegp.org.au/