Can you imagine a future in which long waits at the GP's office didn't exist?
Hunter Medical Research Institute academic Coralie English can, which is one reason why we like her.
Nobody likes a waiting room, right? All those coughing people and snotty, screaming kids. Ick!
In the COVID-19 world, GP waiting rooms have been largely empty. We pivoted quick-smart to telehealth.
So why can't we use telehealth all the time? Well, Professor English reckons we can.
"There have been barriers put up in the past," said Professor English, of the University of Newcastle.
"It's been interesting how this crisis has blown away a lot of those barriers and enabled us to realise what we can do."
Telehealth is predicted to be a lucrative business in the future, as personalised medicine and wearable devices become more common.
Big tech companies like Google and Apple are moving into the space, looking for a piece of the pie as humanity progresses towards improving health with real-time data.
Thing is, Professor English says telehealth doesn't need to be complicated.
"At its absolute core, telehealth is just a real-time video connection to chat to somebody and give them advice and demonstrate things," she said.
Professor English said there was, in some cases, a need for sophisticated telehealth platforms.
"But a simple Zoom or Skype face-to-face connection is all you need for a lot of consultations," she said.
Professor English's team has been working with the Stroke Foundation to develop a new page for telehealth resources on the foundation's website. This helps busy clinicians who don't have time to find these resources in different places.
In March, the federal government enabled a major expansion of telehealth with extra Medicare services and incentives for doctors and other health practitioners.
The aim was to support self-isolation and quarantine policies to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
Professor English hopes these new initiatives remain when the pandemic ends.
Research shows demand for efficient and patient-friendly telehealth services is strong.
It's also proving wrong the belief that older people will have trouble with telehealth.
"This crisis has blown those assumptions out of the water," she said.
"These days everybody is so digitally aware. Our internet reach is so good.
"We've seen people managing technology, iPads and computers without any problem, even if they've never done it before."
The pandemic has given a glimpse of a future in which medical consultations can be done from home.
In such a future, long and frustrating waits in medical waiting rooms could come to an end, as technology makes medicine more efficient.
So what are we waiting for? Let's make this telehealth thing permanent.
Three Stooges Remake
New Lambton's Ross Greig has an idea for a remake of The Three Stooges.
"The three most well known protagonists were Moe, Larry and Curly," Ross said.
"I couldn't think of three better candidates for a remake than ScoMo [as Mo], Boris Johnston [as larrikin Larry] and Donald Trump [as Surly, as opposed to Curly]."
- topics@newcastleherald.com.au
