Telehealth is essentially health services delivered by a healthcare provider over a video call or the phone. This means that you can still access high quality healthcare services regardless of where you or your therapist lives, as long as you have good reception.
Did you know that the 2 biggest problems in community healthcare are:
1. Long waiting lists
A wait time of 3 months used to be considered a long waiting list. Now, 6 – 12 months is not uncommon. When you have to wait for so long to access much needed healthcare, your health can potentially deteriorate during that time. Serious consequences can arise from this such as developing a pressure sore or falling down and fracturing your hip. This can mean that you find yourself in a much worse off situation than before.
2. Challenges of accessing healthcare services in remote/rural area
The closest therapist to you if you live in a remote/rural area could be 50km away. That is a long time to be traveling. Sitting for a prolonged period can flare up a bad back and recovering from this can take a few days. Understandably, this tends to put people off getting the therapy they need.
We strongly believe that telehealth is an excellent solution to the above problems, plus many more.
Does Telehealth Actually Work?
Yes. Research shows that in many aspects, telehealth is as good as being seen in person. In some aspects, clients have reported that they even prefer telehealth to in-person appointments. And because video calls is the preferred telehealth method for most clients, developing trust and rapport with our therapist is similar to meeting them in person as it is still face to face albeit on the screen.
In fact, telehealth has a long history of development, originating in the early 1920s. Telehealth as we know it today has been actively used by various allied healthcare providers, including physiotherapists, as early as a decade ago. The evolution and growth of telehealth proves its effectiveness and sustainability.
In addition, Western NSW Local Health District’s pilot project in 2017 consisting of a group of allied health professionals (Physiotherapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech Therapist, Dietitian and Social Work) delivering virtual healthcare services proved favourable of telehealth.
