Benefits which telehealth could provide South Islanders are being undermined by an uncoordinated approach and poor monitoring of how services are used, a new region-wide strategy says. The alliance said it wanted to increase the availability and use of telehealth to the point where it was offered to everyone who could benefit from it. Staff in all DHBs needed to be trained in how to use telehealth properly, and encouraged to overcome ‘‘personal and cultural barriers’’ which might prevent telehealth becoming a usual part of healthcare, the strategy said. There was no monitoring system to measure telehealth usage or capability and that needed to be addressed, it said. ‘‘Any new telehealth service developed should be encouraged to proactively evaluate their service as it is implemented, including the patient, carer, and clinician experience.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 08, 2020 15:22 UTC