The Centre for Online Health strongly believe that the success of any telehealth service relies heavily on consumer involvement. As the end user of the service, and perhaps someone with lived experience in specific health conditions or caring for someone, consumers can provide unique insights into what makes a high-quality health service. We acknowledge that partnering with consumers to set the agenda for telehealth research and engaging with them throughout the entire process is the only way to effectively meet the needs of those who seek care remotely.
In 2022, we secured funding, opened expressions of interest and invited consumers to participate in a telehealth consumer research group. Consumers enthusiastic about telehealth and digital health services across Australia signed up and researchers facilitated online introductory sessions to get to know each other and align expectations. Participants demonstrated a real passion for telehealth research and were excited about the opportunity to be involved.
A new group name was chosen by consumers: the UQ-COH Telehealth Consumer Reference Group (UQ-COH TCRG).
Members of our consumer group are representative of different age groups. Most are aged between 41 to 70 years old.
Culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) consumers are those born overseas, in countries other than major English-speaking countries. They come from communities with not only diverse languages but also ethnic backgrounds, nationalities, traditions, societal structures, religions, and cultures
Lived experience refers to those who have first-hand experiences and knowledge about certain situations or conditions. For example, someone who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and has been living with this condition for a while is in a unique place to talk about their experience in healthcare. And there is a lot of research showing the positive impacts of services designed and delivered by people with lived experience!
Consumers identified important reasons why they wanted to join this group and highlighted the impact they want to make on telehealth research and service delivery.
As part of a student project with COH researchers, consumers were engaged to develop a series of short videos aimed at improving public awareness and understanding of telehealth. Members of the Telehealth Consumer Reference Group shared their lived-experience and opinions on telehealth modalities. The results were fantastic and highlight what telehealth is like from the consumer perspective – useful not only for members of the general public who aren’t familiar with telehealth, but also useful for healthcare professionals to hear from consumers what they want out of the telehealth experience. The final 3 video clips from this student project are available to watch below
Why is telehealth important?
Phone vs Video
How to get ready for your telehealth appointment
Permission to use videos in presentations or for other public dissemination: If intending to re-use the videos or show in a public setting, please contact us on telehealthgroup@uq.edu.au and provide the intended purpose for use (commercial, non-commercial, educational) and audience. Tracking where the videos go helps us know how useful they’ve been and who they are reaching. Thank you!
In 2022, The University of Queensland's Consumer and Community Network hosted a Consumer Roundtable to bring consumers and researchers together to explore emerging issues and priorities for future research. Research questions prioritised by consumer vote focussed on marginalised groups and stigmatised conditions; differences between telehealth and face-to-face healthcare delivery; and the experience of conveying and receiving compassion via telehealth. See the publication for more information:
Jenkinson B, Maxwell J, Bell A, et al. Bringing researchers to the consumer table: The process and outcomes of a consumer roundtable on telehealth. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1177/1357633X231188536
We invite anyone who is enthusiastic about improving telehealth service delivery to join our telehealth group. As the end user of health services, and perhaps someone with lived experience in specific health conditions, you have valuable insight into what makes a service person-centred.
This is an opportunity to contribute to the future of telehealth by taking part in activities like online meetings with our research team, reviewing research materials, or attending group sessions. Anyone can join no matter your geographic location in Australia.
For any queries about COH’s Telehealth Consumer Reference Group, please contact us by email on telehealthgroup@uq.edu.au.