A new project in the Australian state of Victoria aims to enhance the telehealth capabilities of mental health and palliative care services.
Monash University researchers have received A $ 2 million ($ 1.4 million) funding from the federally supported Digital Health Cooperative Research Center (DHCRC) for their Enhanced Telehealth Capabilities project.
The project will be led by the University’s Faculty of Information Technology and supported by affiliates, Monash Health, the University of Melbourne, Healthdirect Australia and the Victoria Department of Health.
BECAUSE IT IS IMPORTANT
With more than 16 million Australians remotely accessing health services since the start of the pandemic, robust telehealth has become essential, especially for those in areas unreachable by major hospitals, said Rahina Hoda, associate professor. from the Faculty of IT at Monash University and leader of the project. .
Working closely with patients, caregivers and clinicians, researchers will develop “user-centric and research-based” software solutions that enhance telehealth capabilities such as real-time transcription, integration of personal diagnostic data from medical devices and accessibility. for the elderly and Australians from culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
The goal, according to Hoda, is to augment current web-based video telehealth services to create “more agile and reliable systems while maintaining the privacy of all users involved.”
Peter Poon, Project Contributor and Director of Palliative and Supportive Care at Monash Health, also highlighted that the project is beneficial for hospice patients and their caregivers who have difficulty accessing in-person consultation.
The research team will collaborate with national public telehealth provider Healthdirect Australia, who will then make upcoming telehealth solutions available to clinics in Victoria via Healthdirect Australia video call.
THE LARGEST CONTEXT
The Australian government is investing A $ 106 million ($ 76 million) over the next four years to do telehealth “permanent“in the country to ensure flexibility in the provision of medical care and the continuous provision of health consultations by phone or online. However, earlier this month, it enforced changes to the Medicare benefit schedule for telehealth items, including the completion of 128 articles, which some healthcare leaders warned would have significant consequences for patients.
In other news, DHCRC recently funded a project that will deliver real-time patient data through boards. The AU $ 2.1 million ($ 1.5 million) project is also led by Monash University and is expected to deliver solutions by 2025.
IN THE REGISTRY
“Our investment will provide real-world mental health services that will deliver improved patient experiences and outcomes in Victoria while laying the foundation for the developed telehealth services to be seamlessly expanded and adopted beyond Victoria and palliative care, nationally and globally, “said Dr. Stefan Harrer, director of innovation at DHCRC, stated.
