The current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is again reminding us of the importance of using telehealth to deliver care, especially as a means of reducing the risk of cross-contamination caused by close contact.
For telehealth to be effective as part of an emergency response it first needs to become a routinely used part of our health system. Hence, it is time to step back and ask why telehealth is not mainstreamed.
In this article, we highlight key requirements for this to occur. Strategies to ensure that telehealth is used regularly in acute, post-acute and emergency situations, alongside conventional service delivery methods, include the development of new models of care, flexible funding arrangements, training and accrediting our health workforce.
Authors: Prof Anthony Smith, Dr Emma Thomas, Dr Centaine Snoswell, Dr Helen Haydon, A/Prof Ateev Mehrotra, Prof Jane Clemensen and A/Prof Liam Caffery.
