DR DEE PATIL Senior Manager Outpatients Support, Cancer Services, Canberra Health Services, ACT Government
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Telehealth embraced in the ACT and there’s no looking back—we hope In the ACT, telehealth was launched on 22 April 2020, to support the reduction of non-urgent and non-essential activity at Canberra Health Services (CHS). The ACT Health Directorate and CHS chose the Health Direct platform, which acts as a clinical tool, as opposed to a videoconferencing mechanism. Since introduction of the Health Direct platform, there has been an average of 200 telehealth video appointments per week. During the COVID-19 pandemic, telehealth has been critical to supporting residents to stay at home, comply with social distancing, and ensuring medical help and consultations are
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The Health Advocate • NOVEMBER 2020
available for patients who do not need to travel to the hospital for their appointments. An excellent example of telehealth’s effectiveness is the timely care it has given patients receiving immunosuppressant therapy in the Canberra Region Cancer Centre. During an incredibly stressful and emotionally draining time, these patients don’t need to leave home to talk to their treating specialist, agree to treatment plans and manage their illness.
The process Telehealth video appointments are based on clinical need and the patient’s preference. At CHS, our administration team explains to patients how to
