It sees clinicians dealing with patients over the phone and via video conference as far as possible, reducing in-person interaction and the chances of spreading coronavirus. And it has found it needs to catch up, Dr Ruth Large, chair of the New Zealand Telehealth Forum, explains. Home comforts also serve as a positive for telehealth, Large explains. Professor Les Toop, a GP and University of Otago researcher, has been moving between phone, video and in-person consultations as needed from his Christchurch practice. “Immunisations and screenings all need to happen in person.”And since a video consultation “requires high-speed Internet connection and a reasonable amount of data", the digital divide is a barrier to telehealth, Large explains.

Source: Stuff May 03, 2020 16:52 UTC