The Queensland Parliament’s Health and Community Services Committee is holding an inquiry into telehealth services in Queensland. It will consider implementation of telehealth, including the Rural Telehealth Service that was announced in February 2013 in the Blueprint for better healthcare in Queensland.
Also to be examined by the committee is the effect of telehealth on access to health services in rural areas. Committee chair, Mr Trevor Ruthenberg MP, said that telehealth has great potential to improve rural access to health services and to get specialist medical advice to people who are remote from large hospitals.
“Access to safe, quality health services is important for all of us. The committee wants to make sure that telehealth services in Queensland are on the right track.” Mr Ruthenberg said.
The committee will receive an initial briefing from the Department of Health at Parliament House on Wednesday 5 March at 11.00am. Mr Ruthenberg said the briefing will be open to the public. The briefing will be broadcast live on the parliament’s website. Anyone with internet access can view the briefing.
http://www.parliament.qld.gov.au/work-of-committees/broadcastcommittee/live
Mr Ruthenberg said the committee would gather information about how patients and clinicians experience telehealth. “We are interested in what patients and clinicians think about using videconference and other telehealth services. The committee also wants to hear about any barriers to making telehealth services work for the benefit of patients.”
The committee will visit some rural telehealth sites, and will invite written submissions and hold public hearings. Information about the inquiry, including the closing date for submissions, will be updated on the Health and Community Services Committee webpage. www.parliament.qld.gov.au/hcsc
In accordance with section 94 of the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001, the committee has resolved to undertake an inquiry into telehealth services managed by the Department of Health and delivered by the Department and Hospital and Health Services.
For the purposes of this inquiry the committee has adopted the definition of telehealth used by the Department of Health in its 2012-13 Annual Report; the definition is reproduced below.
In conducting its inquiry the committee will:
- examine the implementation of the telehealth service by the Department of Health and Hospital and Health Services in trials, pilot and other sites, including:
- expenditure and budget
- governance arrangements
- models of service delivery
- technology and communication systems capacity and capability
- patients, clinicians and health staff perceptions and experiences of telehealth
- the outcomes of trials and pilot projects
- quality of patient care
- access to health services, particularly in rural and remote locations.
- consider the value for money of the delivery of telehealth services
- examine the factors that support successful implementation of telehealth services and identify any barriers to successful implementation
- consider strategies to address any barriers to successful implementation of telehealth services in Queensland.
Telehealth
“Delivery of health-related services and information via telecommunication technologies, including:
- live, audio and/or video interactive links for clinical consultations and educational purposes
- store-and-forward telehealth, including digital images, video, audio and clinical (stored) on a client computer, then transmitted securely (forwarded) to a clinic at another location where they are studied by relevant specialists
- teleradiology for remote reporting and clinical advice for diagnostic images
- telehealth services and equipment to monitor people in their home.”
Source: Department of Health, 2012-13 Annual Report, State of Queensland 2013, available at: www.parliament.qld.gov.au/documents/tableOffice/TabledPapers/2013/5413T3564.pdf
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Quelle/Source: My Sunshine Coast, 27.02.2014
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