What is telehealth

What is virtual care/telehealth?

Virtual care (otherwise known as telehealth) allows consumers and patients to access health care closer to home or in the home. Virtual care can involve both phone and video consultations. It allows patients to safely and conveniently access remote healthcare in place of a face-to-face care if clinically appropriate.

Virtual care (telehealth) provides consumers, patients and carers with significant benefits such as:

• reducing the risk of exposure to other illnesses and infections; especially for patients with compromised or weakened immune systems
• removing the burden of travel when patients are suffering illness or injury
• saving time and money on travel, parking, accommodation
• allowing patients to be cared for in the comfort of their home or seen in the comfort of their own home, or at a more convenient location.

Virtual care (telephone or video) is used in many healthcare settings including:

• specialist /outpatient services
• Emergency Departments
• inpatient services such as Hospital in the Home
• community health
• primary care

Virtual care/telehealth is suitable for most types of appointments including:

• screening, diagnosis, treatment planning and follow up care
• managing symptoms and side effects
• referring for scans, tests and other treatments
• discussing scans and test results
• repeat prescriptions
• mental wellbeing or counselling.

Is virtual care (telehealth) available and right for you?

Virtual care is provided by most Victorian public health services. To discuss whether this option is available and right for you, contact your clinician, health care provider or local health service.

You may choose to have family members, carers or friends attend the virtual care (telehealth) appointment with you.

What to expect when attending an appointment via telehealth.

When a virtual care/telehealth appointment is made, the health service will send you all the information you need to access your appointment. This may include necessary equipment and information you can use to test the video call platform before the appointment.

Equipment that you may need includes:

• a computer or laptop or tablet or smartphone
• internet connection
• webcam or built-in camera
• Google chrome or Safari internet browser.