With most of Australia easing their restrictions, the general population have welcomed the more relaxed movement despite being more overly cautious than usual with respect to particular hygiene practices. In turn, the majority of GP practices around the country are now starting to notice an upward trend in face-to-face visitations across the board, particularly over the last two weeks, however, this has not been anywhere near the pre-COVID levels. Predominantly, this can be attributed to the introduction and adoption of telehealth services.
For the most part, GPs are reporting a positive reaction to the changes, whilst some are still questioning the overall impact to the quality of care. One GP in western Sydney states,
“Whilst there has been a good uptake of our new telehealth capability, which is great for discussing general results or topping up on routine scripts, there are a small number of the population that are utilising this service for conditions that would be far better diagnosed in person”.
It’s safe to say that telehealth will be the way of the future and is here to stay. So much so, that a number of organisations have built their entire business model around this and a few phone apps have entered the market purely dedicated to this type of service.
So if it will be around for the foreseeable future, what are some of the things that practices can do to adopt the service without compromising on the quality of care delivered to their patients? Interviewing over 100 practices around the country has provided some interesting insights
If you need any support with finding doctors to help with the new increase in demand, please feel free to reach out to us today for a confidential discussion about your hiring needs. If you are a doctor looking for a new opportunity, please also feel free to reach out as we can help point you in the right direction. Careers Connections has also increased our staffing numbers in preparation to assist facilities cater for this increased and rapid demand, catering to over 2000 health facilities nationally.
We look forward to getting in touch!
Kevin Whitley