Telemedicine
High-speed broadband is transforming the delivery of services, including in the healthcare sector. One use of broadband is telemedicine that makes use of video conferencing to connect remotely located patients and healthcare professionals.
The use of telemedicine can assist and enhance medical outcomes. This is particularly true for patients who have difficulty accessing specialist medical care, for example those with mobility issues or those that live in rural and regional areas.
The potential offered by telemedicine has been recognised by the Australian Federal Government, who recently introduced Medicare rebates to encourage the use of medical consultations via video-conferencing.
Research underway at IBES is exploring different uses of telemedicine including in specialist and GP consultations as well as in physiotherapy. Researchers are employing different technologies, including three dimensional video applications, as well as haptic technologies that provide force feedback through a broadband connection.
Research Projects
- Interpreter mediated cognitive assessments using video conferencing software
- Overcoming geographical barriers for community health through 3D
- Field testing of remote teledentistry technology
- Using video-conferencing to pilot an education and clinical support package for rural GPs in Mildura
- An Open Research Initiative to Improve the Evaluation of Australian Telehealth Implementations
Completed
- Concordance between real-time teledentistry assessments and face-to-face examination
- Haptic tele-rehabilitation: Latency implications for system stability and clinical communication
- The Telestroke solution to rural Thrombolysis
- Virtual visits: Investigating the acceptability of webcam consultations for young adults' sexual health