Centre for Online Health Publications - UQ eSpace

Psychiatric treatment: 2005-2010

Yellowlees, P. M. — 2008-06-06T00:00:00Z

Psych-technology: A Systematic Review of the Telepsychiatry Literature

Melaka, A og Edirippulige, S — 2010-02-25T00:00:00Z

Recent advances in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have created opportunities to assist in providing alternate solutions to the delivery of quality psychiatric services. This study sets out to review the literature related to the use of ICT in the psychiatry field. The study was conducted using electronic databases such as Medline, PubMed, Google Scholar, Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO and Embase covering the period 1996 to March 2008. The focus of the study was on reviews including studies reporting cost-effectiveness, patient outcomes, technology implementations and services, applications in different geographical settings (developed and undeveloped countries), the use of telepsychiatry in Australia and the barriers to the practice of telepsychiatry. These studies were classified as randomised control trials, evaluation studies and review studies. Fifty-three articles were identified that fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Results from the randomized controlled trials analyzed have demonstrated that telepsychiatry treatment has equivalent efficacy to face-to-face consultation. Synchronous technologies applied in psychiatry practice include: videoconferencing, telephony and online chat programs. Asynchronous technologies include: online support groups, email and self-help groups. The application of telepsychiatry has increased in developed countries such as: USA, Canada and Europe. Telepsychiatry has also been widely used in a number of programs to service rural Australian regions. A lack of application and evolvement of telepsychiatry in developing countries was evident in this review study as well as a lack of economic studies comparing the costs associated with conventional psychiatry services against the costs associated with telepsychiatry services. This review study has shown the potential of telepsychiatry services to assist in the provision of effective mental and psychiatric care.

Publication bias in telemedicine

Wootton, R. — 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Quality assurance of paediatric cardiac surgery: A prospective 6-year analysis

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Objective: To audit effective quality assurance methods to monitor outcomes following paediatric cardiac surgery at a single institution. Methods: All patients undergoing cardiac surgery from January 1996 to December 2001 were enrolled prospectively. Patients were stratified by complexity of surgical procedure into four groups, with Category 4 being the most complex procedure. Outcome measures included death, length of admission and morbidity from complications. Results: A total of 1815 patients underwent 1973 surgical procedures. Of these, 1447 (73.3%) were cardiopulmonary bypass procedures, and 543 (27.5%) were more complex (Category 3 and 4) procedures. Median patient age was 3.5 years (range, 1 day-20 years) and patient weight 15.0 kg (range, 900 g to 90 kg). Sixty-six patients (3.6%) died during the study period. Of the procedures in 1996, 22.7% were classified as complex compared with 29.2% of procedures in 2001. The annual surgical mortality ranged from 1.9-4.7% (P=0.20), and when mortality was adjusted for complexity of surgery, there was no significant yearly variation in the mortality rate (P=0.57). Analysis of individual surgeon's results showed no significant difference in the mortality rate by complexity of surgery performed (P=0.90). Mean ventilation times did not change significantly over time (P=0.79). The yearly incidence of significant neurological complications ranged from 0.6% to 4.5% and the incidence of arrhythmias from 4.2% to 8.0%. No difference was detected between the years. Conclusions: Stratifying complexity of surgery proved valuable in monitoring surgical outcomes and detecting differences in performance over time as large subgroups were created for analysis.

Quantification of the magnification and distortion effects of a pediatric flexible video-bronchoscope

2007-08-15T05:28:58Z

Background: Flexible video bronchoscopes, in particular the Olympus BF Type 3C160, are commonly used in pediatric respiratory medicine. There is no data on the magnification and distortion effects of these bronchoscopes yet important clinical decisions are made from the images. The aim of this study was to systematically describe the magnification and distortion of flexible bronchoscope images taken at various distances from the object. Methods: Using images of known objects and processing these by digital video and computer programs both magnification and distortion scales were derived. Results: Magnification changes as a linear function between 100 mm ( x 1) and 10 mm ( x 9.55) and then as an exponential function between 10 mm and 3 mm ( x 40) from the object. Magnification depends on the axis of orientation of the object to the optic axis or geometrical axis of the bronchoscope. Magnification also varies across the field of view with the central magnification being 39% greater than at the periphery of the field of view at 15 mm from the object. However, in the paediatric situation the diameter of the orifices is usually less than 10 mm and thus this limits the exposure to these peripheral limits of magnification reduction. Intraclass correlations for measurements and repeatability studies between instruments are very high, r = 0.96. Distortion occurs as both barrel and geometric types but both types are heterogeneous across the field of view. Distortion of geometric type ranges up to 30% at 3 mm from the object but may be as low as 5% depending on the position of the object in relation to the optic axis. Conclusion: We conclude that the optimal working distance range is between 40 and 10 mm from the object. However the clinician should be cognisant of both variations in magnification and distortion in clinical judgements.

Randomised controlled trial of an automated, interactive telephone intervention to improve type 2 diabetes self-management (Telephone-Linked Care Diabetes Project): study protocol

2010-11-14T00:00:00Z

Randomised controlled trial of telemedicine for new neurological outpatient referrals

2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Objective-To test the hypothesis that telemedicine for new patient referrals to neurological outpatients is as efficient and acceptable as conventional face to face consultation. Methods-A randomised controlled trial between two groups: face to face (FF) and telemedicine (TM). This study was carried out between a neurological centre and outlying clinics at two distant hospitals linked by identical medium cost commercial interactive video conferencing equipment with ISDN lines transmitting information at 384 kbits/s. The same two neurologists carried out both arms of the study. Of the 168 patients who were suitable for the study, 86 were randomised into the telemedicine group and 82 into the face to face group. Outcome measures were (I) consultation process: (a) number of investigations; (b) number of drugs prescribed; (c) number of patient reviews and (2) patient satisfaction: (a) confidence in consultation; (b) technical aspects of consultation; (c) aspects surrounding confidentiality. Diagnostic categories were also measured to check equivalence between the groups: these were structural neurological, structural non-neurological, nonstructural, and uncertain. Results-Diagnostic categories were similar (p>0.5) between the two groups. Patients in the telemedicine group had significantly more investigations (p=0.001). There was no difference in the number of drugs prescribed (p>0.5). Patients were generally satisfied with both types of consultation process except for concerns about confidentiality and embarrassment in the telemedicine group (p=0.017 and p=0.005 respectively). Conclusion-Telemedicine for new neurological outpatients is possible and feasible but generates more investigations and is less well accepted than face to face examination.

Randomized comparison of the quality of realtime fetal ultrasound images transmitted by ISDN and by IP videoconferencing

2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

We compared the quality of realtime fetal ultrasound images transmitted using ISDN and IP networks. Four experienced obstetric ultrasound specialists viewed standard recordings in a randomized trial and rated the appearance of 30 fetal anatomical landmarks, each on a seven-point scale. A total of 12 evaluations were performed for various combinations of bandwidths (128, 384 or 768 kbit/s) and networks (ISDN or IF). The intraobserver coefficient of variation was 2.9%, 5.0%, 12.7% and 14.7% for the four observers. The mean overall ratings by each of the four observers were 4.6, 4.8, 5.0 and 5.3, respectively (a rating of 4 indicated satisfactory visualization and 7 indicated as good as the original recording). Analysis of variance showed that there were no significant interobserver variations nor significant differences in the mean scores for the different types of videoconferencing machines used. The most significant variable affecting the mean score was the bandwidth used. For ISDN, the mean score was 3.7 at 128 kbit/s, which was significantly worse than the mean score of 4.9 at 384 kbit/s, which was in turn significantly worse than the mean score of 5.9 at 768 kbit/s. The mean score for transmission using IP was about 0.5 points lower than that using ISDN across all the different bandwidths, but the differences were not significant. It appears that IP transmission in a private (non-shared) network is an acceptable alternative to ISDN for fetal tele-ultrasound and one deserving further study.

Readiness of nurses for practicing telehealth

Edirippulige, Sisira — 2011-02-17T00:00:00Z

Realtime fetal ultrasound by telemedicine in Queensland. A successful venture?

2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

We have established a realtime fetal tele-ultrasound consultation service in Queensland, which has been integrated into our routine clinical practice, The service, which uses ISDN transmission at 384 kbit/s, allows patients in Townsville to be examined by subspecialists in Brisbane, 1500 km away. For the 90 tele-ultrasound consultations performed for the first 71 patients, 90% of the babies have been delivered, and outcome data have been received on all the pregnancies. All significant anomalies and diagnoses have been confirmed. The referring clinicians would have physically referred 24 of the 71 patients to Brisbane in the absence of telemedicine. A crude cost-benefit calculation suggests that the tele-ultrasound service resulted in a net saving of A$6340, and at the same time enabled almost four times the number of consultations to be carried out.

Realtime telemedicine

Wootton, R — 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Telemedicine conducted via prerecorded interaction is more convenient than that using realtime interaction. On the other hand, a realtime consultation allows an immediate result to be obtained and there is likely to be a strong educational component for the remote practitioner. The use of the telephone is under-rated in telemedicine. Telephones have been used in outpatient follow-up, mental health, help lines and support groups. Telephones (fixed and mobile) have also been used for data transfer (e.g. for transmission of electrocardiograms). Realtime transfer of still images has been used in telepathology for many years, and more recently for rapid assessment of injuries. Realtime transfer of video images has been widely explored, perhaps most successfully in telepsychiatry. Some realtime telemedicine applications have been taken up with enthusiasm, even if formal evidence of cost-effectiveness may be lacking. Teleradiology and telepsychiatry are two examples where widespread adoption is beginning to occur. Other forms of realtime telemedicine represent 'niche' applications. That is, they appear to be both successful and sustainable in the centres where they were pioneered, but have not been adopted elsewhere. Teledialysis and teleoncology are examples of this type. The patchy diffusion of telemedicine is something that is not yet well understood.

Realtime telemedicine for paediatric otolaryngology pre-admission screening

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

We conducted a feasibility study to examine whether a paediatric patient at a regional hospital could be assessed by an ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialist via videoconference, therefore saving at least one journey to the tertiary hospital for a pre-admission appointment. A video-otoscope was used with standard videoconference equipment, and realtime images were transmitted at a bandwidth of 384 kbit/s. In all, 13 telepaediatric ENT clinics were conducted between November 2003 and April 2005, and 98 consultations were facilitated for 64 patients. The main reasons for referral were recurrent tonsillitis (25%) and obstructive sleep apnoea (23%). Of the 64 patients examined by telemedicine, 42 (66%) were recommended for surgery and placed on the surgical waiting list. About 12 patients (19%) required travel to the tertiary centre for further investigations and tests not available locally, while four patients (6%) were reviewed via videoconference during a scheduled clinic. Six patients (9%) required no further follow-up after their initial telepaedliatric consultation. Videoconferencing is an effective method of assessing ENT conditions of paediatric patients and for pre-screening potential surgical admissions to a tertiary hospital. Careful consideration of a number of economic and logistical factors needs to be made before large investments are made to expand the service.

Realtime video in the neonatal intensive-care nursery

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Recent advances - Telemedicine

Wootton, R. — 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Recurrent Neural Networks for Narrowband Signal Detection in the Time-Frequency Domain

2009-04-17T00:00:00Z

A recurrent neural network was trained to detect the time-frequency domain signature of narrowband radio signals against a background of astronomical noise. The objective was to investigate the use of recurrent networks for signal detection in the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence, though the problem is closely analogous to the detection of some classes of Radio Frequency Interference in radio astronomy.

Reducing sudden unexpected deaths in infancy: Targeting mutable risk factors for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families

Young, Jeanine — 2011-03-17T00:00:00Z

The infant mortality rate in a country reflects the health of pregnant women, newborns and young children, as well as the impact of structural factors on the population health such as accessibility to health services and effectiveness of the health system. Infant mortality offers key insights into lifestyles and trends in underlying risk and protective factors related to children’s health. This presentation will highlight the risk factors for sudden unexpected deaths in infancy identified in a Queensland cohort of infants. Comparisons of infant care practices used by Indigenous and non-Indigenous parents highlight areas where improvements in the understanding of risk factors and better uptake of safe sleeping recommendations may be achieved. Reduction in risk factors will reduce the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander babies who die each year suddenly and unexpectedly, and will contribute long-term to reducing the gap in health inequalities experienced by this group within our population.

Reducing your carbon footprint: How telemedicine helps

2008-05-07T13:56:56Z

Referral patterns in a global store-and-forward telemedicine system

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

We examined the nature of the referral patterns in the email telemedicine network operated by the Swinfen Charitable Trust with a view to informing long-term resource planning. Over the first six years of operation, 62 hospitals from 19 countries registered with the Trust in order to be able to refer cases for specialist advice; 55 of these hospitals (89%) actually referred cases during this period. During the first six years of operation, nearly 1000 referrals were submitted and answered, from a wide range of specialty areas. Between July 2002 and March 2005 the referral rate rose from 127 to 318 cases per year. The median length of time required to provide a specialist's response was 2.3 days during the first 12 months and 1.8 days during the last 12 months. Five hospitals submitted cases for more than four years (together sending a total of 493 cases). Their activity data showed a trend to declining referral rates over the four-year period, which may represent successful knowledge transfer. There is some evidence that over the last three years the growth in demand has been exponential, while the growth in resources available (i.e. specialists) has been linear, a situation which cannot continue for very long before demand outstrips supply.

Research and Teaching at the Centre for Online Health

Wootton, Richard — 2004-09-27T00:00:00Z

The Centre for Online Health (COH) is a university research centre in Queensland, closely linked with (and located in) a tertiary hospital. Research at the COH is directed at the development of new models of healthcare delivery, models that are applicable in Australia and other countries. That is, models of healthcare delivery which are feasible, safe, clinically useful, cost-effective and sustainable. To achieve these goals means conducting clinical research trials. Thus the focus of the work at the COH is on clinical trials, not on technology development. The COH is responsible for a broad range of collaborative projects which explore and evaluate innovative methods of providing clinical services in metropolitan and regional environments, including telemedicine, health information systems and health education. Current research work can be divided into real-time and non-real-time applications.

Responses of clinicians and families to a telepaediatric diabetic retinopathy screening

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Retrospective case review of a global e-health system for doctors in developing countries

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Review of: Understanding health communication technologies

Patterson, V. — 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Rule-Extraction from Support Vector Machines

Diederich, J. — 2009-04-08T00:00:00Z

Rule extraction from technology IPOs in the US stock market

2007-08-24T00:00:00Z

Machine learning techniques for prediction and rule extraction from artificial neural network methods are used. The hypothesis that market sentiment and IPO specific attributes are equally responsible for first-day IPO returns in the US stock market is tested. Machine learning methods used are Bayesian classifications, support vector machines, decision tree techniques, rule learners and artificial neural networks. The outcomes of the research are predictions and rules associated With first-day returns of technology IPOs. The hypothesis that first-day returns of technology IPOs are equally determined by IPO specific and market sentiment is rejected. Instead lower yielding IPOs are determined by IPO specific and market sentiment attributes, while higher yielding IPOs are largely dependent on IPO specific attributes.

Safe Infant Sleeping: On-line program to support health professionals with their role in reducing infant mortality

2011-03-17T00:00:00Z

Background Queensland has consistently experienced one of the highest rates of sudden infant death in Australia. Studies have identified health professional knowledge and practice deficits, and that many caregivers employ infant care practices which increase the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI). Nurses and midwives are ideally placed to positively influence parental practice relating to Safe Sleeping (SS) recommendations known to reduce SUDI. Study Aims The aim was to design and evaluate an evidence-based sustainable resource to support health professionals to deliver SS messages in Queensland. Methods This paper will outline a) the process used to develop an electronic SS resource for health professionals including the pretest-posttest design that evaluated efficacy of the program in impacting nursing and midwifery knowledge and practices (n=393) in consenting nurses and midwives from acute and community settings working with families with infants; b) collaborations established in developing the resource; c) factors contributing to successful implementation. Results Comparison of paired responses (n=102 paired) for nurses/midwives who completed both pre and post-tests demonstrated that the intervention significantly improved documentation and practice (p=0.04); and achieved positive changes in knowledge of risk factors (p<0.05), parent advice relating to recommended infant sleep position (p=0.005) particularly for infants with reflux (p=0.003), and safe wrapping as a strategy to support supine sleep (p=0.02). New and existing collaborations and networks between the project team and SIDS and Kids, National Scientific Advisory Group, expert clinicians, Queensland Health and Skills Development Centre, were utilised in developing a safe infant sleeping resource suitable for state-wide implementation in a variety of clinical and community settings. Recommendations for practice A collaborative approach involving consistent information and resource sharing between all key stakeholder groups, supported at a national level, will facilitate sustained use of an evidence-based e-learning resource to deliver Safe Sleeping recommendations to health professionals.

Safe sleeping environment breakfast forum

Young, Jeanine — 2011-03-17T00:00:00Z

Safe Sleeping Environment Breakfast Forum Presenter: Adj Professor Jeanine Young Nursing Director – Research, RCH & Chair, SIDS and Kids National Scientific Advisory Group Co-Facilitators: Alison Williams and Karen Watson Are you a health professional involved in education of parents and colleagues about safe infant sleeping recommendations and reducing the risk of sudden and unexpected deaths in infancy? This workshop will use clinical scenarios to help you apply the evidence that supports the safe sleeping recommendations and provide evidence based advice for parents and carers. The workshop aims to introduce strategies that will develop the participant’s ability to 1. Identify risk factors for SIDS and SUDI 2. Explain key recommendations, and the supporting evidence, to address the three key modifiable risk factors 3. Explore common reasons why parents may choose not to place their babies on their back to sleep and strategies to address these 4. Explain SUDI risk factors that relate to infant sleeping environments, sleep locations and infant care practices 5. Describe safe and unsafe sleep environments 6. Provide evidence-based parent information about sleeping environments and infant care practices that affect the risk of sudden infant death 7. Apply knowledge of evidence-based safe sleeping recommendations and infant care practices to tailor SUDI risk reduction strategies to individual family situations Participants will be introduced to the Safe Sleeping On-Line education Program that was launched in Queensland in June 2010 and the accompanying suite of resources for parents and health professionals now available through Queensland Health and SIDS and Kids.

Safety for home care: the use of Internet video calls to double-check interventions

2012-12-10T13:34:33Z

Searching the world wide web for local services and facilities: A review on the patterns of location-based queries

2007-08-23T21:24:31Z

Many queries sent to search engines refer to specific locations in the world. Location-based queries try to find local services and facilities around the user’s environment or in a particular area. This paper reviews the specifications of geospatial queries and discusses the similarities and differences between location-based queries and other queries. We introduce nine patterns for location-based queries containing either a service name alone or a service name accompanied by a location name. Our survey indicates that at least 22% of the Web queries have a geospatial dimension and most of these can be considered as location-based queries. We propose that location-based queries should be treated different from general queries to produce more relevant results.

Seven years' experience with a virtual hospital to support doctors in developing countries

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Social Capital, Gold for Telemedicine?

2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Store-and-forward telemedicine

2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Strategies to promote e-health and telemedicine activities in developing countries

2010-02-23T00:00:00Z

Student perceptions of a hands-on practicum to supplement an online eHealth course

2012-12-20T13:47:22Z

Successes and failures in assessing cognitive function in older adults using video consultation

2008-04-23T12:30:34Z

We investigated the level of agreement between specialists conducting a cognitive assessment via videoconference compared with a face-to-face assessment. The patient and doctor were linked via a videoconference system which was located within the same hospital. To assess inter-rater reliability, paired face-to-face assessments were also carried out. There were 42 subjects, who were aged over 50 years and who had not attended a memory disorder clinic in the previous 12 months. A battery of standardized cognitive assessments was performed by a trained clinic nurse, prior to the two assessments by separate specialists. The weighted kappa score for face-to-face inter-rater reliability was 0.53. The agreement between face-to-face and videoconferencing assessment was 0.63. The present study shows that the use of videoconferencing for cognitive assessment results in assessment outcomes similar to those from face-to-face assessment.

Successes and failures in telehealth - 2004

Smith, A. C. — 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Successes and Failures in Telehealth-4

2007-08-27T00:00:00Z

Successfully developing a telemedicine system

Yellowlees, P. M. — 2008-06-06T00:00:00Z

Supporting hospital doctors in the Middle East by email telemedicine: Something the industrialized world can do to help

2008-05-08T00:00:00Z

Support Vector Machine Classification of Facial Expressions

2009-04-08T00:00:00Z

Support vector machines for the automatic grading of assignments

2009-04-20T00:00:00Z

Support vector machines for the automatic grading of essays

2009-04-14T00:00:00Z

Sustainable support for health professionals delivering evidence-based safe sleeping messages to families: A multi-agency approach.

Young, J. og Higgins, N. og Raven, L. — 2011-03-15T00:00:00Z

Systematic review of cost-effective studies of telemedicine interventions

Wootton, R. — 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Taking telehealth to the bush: lessons from north Queensland

2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Networking North Queensland (NNQ) was a two-year project to improve access to health services in rural and remote communities. The project involved email and Internet access in 61 communities, in a region almost three times the size of the UK. Videoconferencing equipment was also installed at 21 sites and a total of 197 h of videoconferencing was recorded at 10 of the remote sites over 12 months. As a result of the project, health consumers enjoyed improved access to medical, specialist, allied health and primary health services. In addition, health service providers had better access to reliable, up-to-date health-care information via intranet and Internet services. Consideration of local issues-local needs and existing resources-was vital to the achievements of the project. Community involvement and community access were also important factors in its success.

Teledermatology: a review

Eedy, DJ og Wootton, R — 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Teledermatology holds great potential for revolutionizing the delivery of dermatology services, providing equitable service to remote areas and allowing primary care physicians to refer patients to dermatology centres of excellence at a distance. However, before its routine application asa service tool, its reliability, accuracy and cost-effectiveness need to be verified by rigorous evaluation. Teledermatology can be applied in one of two ways: it may be conducted in real-time, utilizing videoconferencing equipment, or by store-and-forward methods, when transmitted digital images or photographs are submitted with a clinical history. While there is a considerable range of reported accuracy and reliability, evidence suggests that teledermatology will become increasingly utilized and incorporated into more conventional dermatology service delivery systems. Studies to date have generally found that real-time dermatology is likely to allow greater clinical information to be obtained from the patient. This may result in fewer patients requiring conventional consultations, but it is generally more time-consuming and costly to the health service provider It is often favoured by the patient because of the instantaneous nature of the diagnosis and management regimen for the condition, and it has educational value to the primary care physician. Store-and-forward systems of teledermatology often give high levels of diagnostic accuracy, and are cheaper and more convenient for the health care provider, but lack the immediacy of patient contact with the dermatologist, and involve a delay in obtaining the diagnosis and advice on management. It is increasingly likely that teledermatology will prove to be a significant tool in the provision of dermatology services in the future. These services will probably be provided by store-and-forward digital image systems, with real-time videoconferencing being used for case conferences and education. However, much more research is needed into the outcomes and Limitations of such a service and its effect on waiting lists, as well as possible cost benefits for patients, primary health care professionals and dermatology departments.

Teledermatology can produce high-quality care at low cost

Chen, K og Shumack, S og Wootton, R — 2007-08-15T00:00:00Z

Teledermatology can provide both accurate and reliable specialist care at a distance. This article reviews current data on the quality of care that teledermatology provides, as well as the societal cost benefits involved in the implementation of the technique. Teledermatology is most suited to patients unable to access specialist. services for geographical or social reasons. Patients are generally satisfied with the overall care that teledermatology provides. Real-time teledermatology is more expensive than conventional care for health services. However, significant savings can be expected from the patient's perspective due to reduced travel. Appropriate patient selection, improved technology and adequate clinical workloads may improve both the quality and cost effectiveness of this service.

Teledermatology PACS

Caffrey, Liam J. — 2012-09-19T13:37:49Z

Digital Image Communication in Medicine (DICOM) is a global information technology standard that facilitates the transfer of medical images from one biomedical device to another. DICOM has significantly contributed to the success of teleradiology and picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). PACS is a computer system – both the hardware and software – used for the acquisition, storage, and distribution of biomedical images.

Telehealth activity in Australia

Wootton, R. og Blignault, I. — 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Telehealth and communication

Edirippulige, S K og Wootton, R — 2007-08-14T00:00:00Z

Telehealth opportunities in regional Queensland: a scoping study

2012-12-10T13:38:21Z

We carried out a six month scoping study to ascertain current health service needs in the Queensland towns of Dalby, Chinchilla and Miles. The towns have a high proportion of their populations in the dependent age groups of over 65 years of age and less than 14 years of age. This implies a need for ready access to paediatric and geriatric specialist services. The hospitals in the three towns provided a range of health services, but patients still had to be referred to Toowoomba and Brisbane for specialist consultations. All three hospitals had videoconference facilities, but videoconferencing was mainly used for education, administration and training. General practitioners in the three towns did not use telehealth in their practice. The study reinforced the potential for telehealth services in three key domains: regional hospitals, residential aged-care facilities and general practice.