BALLARAT urologist Dr Richard McMullin is turning to technology to help treat patients.
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Dr McMullin, of the Ballarat Urology Clinic, is one of several local medical practitioners increasingly using telehealth to improve remote patient services.
Over a three-month period, Dr McMullin has treated up to 12 patients using telehealth, particularly in Edenhope and Kaniva.
“It’s (telehealth) a means of using Skype technology to do interviews at a distance,” Dr McMullin said.
“We can still speak face to face if they live a long way away and it avoids a lot of travel.”
One patient Dr McMullin treats via telehealth is 97-year-old Edenhope resident John Thornton.
“If I couldn’t access telehealth for my six-monthly oncology review appointments I probably would have given them away,” Mr Thornton said.
“What used to take all day on the road and another in recovery is now done with a quick trip to the doctor’s rooms in Edenhope.”
The patient attends their GP’s rooms to participate in the conference so their normal doctor can write out any scripts or examinations requested by the specialist.
Dr McMullin said it saved time for both the patients and their families who may have had to drive them to their appointment. “It makes a lot of sense. It’s as good as if the patient was here,” he said.
However, Dr McMullin said it was only used for visits where the patient did not need to be physically examined, rather than if a patient had a new symptom or issue.
“You’ve got to be strategic about it,” he said. Grampians Medicare Local chief executive officer Andrew McPherson said technology developments were improving health care access across the region.
“All GP practices in the Grampians Medicare Local region are telehealth enabled and we encourage patients to talk to their GP and specialist about how telehealth could be of value,” Mr McPherson said.
fiona.henderson@fairfaxmedia.com.au