You can now search the ATHS database of publications about Australian and New Zealand telehealth using keywords or phrases. The database is current to 2017. Simply go here. If you would like to add recent publications, please let us know via the ATHS Contact page.
Renew your ATHS membership now!
The Australasian Telehealth Society invites you to update your membership.
Membership is now per financial year 30 June 2018 to 1 July 2019
Please note that anyone who has renewed their membership this year between January to June, you will be financial until June 30 2019.
The Australasian Telehealth Society (ATHS) is a non-profit organisation that brings researchers, telehealth practitioners, clinicians and industry partners together in a unique interdisciplinary grouping, and keeps its members up to date with developments and evidence based strategies in telehealth.
It is the only Australasian organisation specifically addressing the needs of the telehealth community, creating a credible channel for bringing issues affecting telehealth to the attention of decision makers and encouraging the use of telehealth models and services to address issues confronting the Australian and New Zealand health systems. Renew Membership Now
At last, healthcare equality for all
Everyone deserves quality healthcare no matter where you live. Ten years ago, we had a dream to live in a country where everyone had access to high quality healthcare. Unfortunately, many remote, regional and less mobile Australians do not have access to the same quality of healthcare as people in metro areas. That was, until now.
The Visionflex ‘ProEx Telehealth Hub’ was designed to connect isolated patients to base hospitals or to a specialist/consultant to provide a higher level of care and fast diagnosis. This reduces the need for expensive and difficult transportation for a face to face consultation.
With the development of the ProEx unit now complete, we are excited to deliver the first systems to the Royal Flying Doctors Service, the Australian Antarctic Division, the Alaskan Telehealth Board, NSW & QLD Health, the Justice Health Department and private clinicians around the country with many more due to roll out soon. Please go here for more information.
Telehealth Interest Groups and Online Primary Care Advice in Brazil
The Brazilian National Telehealth Programme provides services to improve healthcare to people in remote areas of the country and to those who need health services most. As part of this programme the Telemedicine University Network (RUTE ) covers 133 telemedicine centres in medical schools and teaching hospitals, spread across all Brazilian states. Using these facilities, 57 special interest groups (dedicated to specific health areas) provide 2 to 3 videoconference sessions every day.
Online advice services called “teleconsultorias” are available to health professionals working in primary care centres throughout Brazil. They are able to submit questions about treatment options or processes relating to clinical cases, which are routed automatically to the appropriate specialist in the Brazilian state in which they are working. Questions are tagged with International Primary Care Classification or ICD-10 codes and replies provided within 72 hours based on clinically tested evidence and referred sources. Subsequently answers to the most frequent questions are used to compile a repository of best practice or “second opinions”.
Alan Taylor, Associate Lecturer, CEng MIET, RPEng (IT&T)
Flinders University, Endeavour Fellow, Brazil
Vice President Australasian Telehealth Society
CRE in Telehealth Forum: Growing the emerging rural health workforce.
The team from the Centre of Research Excellence in Telehealth invites you to a presentation by Associate Professor Geoff Argus, Director of Southern Queensland Rural Health (SQRH). Southern Queensland Rural Health is a newly established University Department of Rural Health. It is a partnership between UQ, USQ, Darling Downs Hospital and Health Service and South West Hospital and Health Service. It is establishing telehealth hubs at its main sites in Toowoomba and Charleville with a focus on Interprofessional Education, Collaboration and Practice.
Join in person or remotely. Friday 6 July, 11.00-12.00
Light lunch at 12.00.
TRI room 2007 on PAH campus
Do not hesitate to circulate the forum details to colleagues who could be interested. All welcome. No registration required. Details to join by Videoconference using Zoom on cretelehealth.centre.uq.edu.au/events
STORIES FROM OUR ATHS MEMBERS
An app a day keeps work injuries at bay
Biosymm is an occupational physiotherapy provider working with major retail, industrial, mining, rail and pharmaceutical clients operating in isolated areas across Australia. Biosymm started in 2004 with telephone-based telehealth and organised an early trial of video consultations in 2014 before scaling up in 2016 using the CSIRO's Coviu program.
In Biosymm's experience, video-based triage and early intervention reduces recovery times massively:
injured workers get assessed and treated almost immediately post injury,
their supervisors get immediate advice as to whether a worker has to stop working, and
the employers save on lost time and workers’ compensation injury claims.
Greg Borman, Biosymm director, says that since implementing video consultations for their clients, Biosymm have achieved more than a 98% stay-at-work rate compared to an industry average between 40 and 60% (WorkCover Queensland Statistics 2015/16).
Dr Silvia Pfeiffer CEO & Co-founder Coviu Global
Author of *'Beyond the Clinic - **Transforming your practice with video
consultations**' **- *2018 release
Ambulance Victoria and Victoria Stroke Telemedicine
On 1 January 2018 the Victorian Stroke Telemedicine (VST) service transitioned from the Florey Institute to Ambulance Victoria.
VST is unique within Australia. It provides treatment advice and management for patients who present to VST participating hospitals with suspected stroke symptoms 24/7, delivering equity of access to acute stroke care for all Victorians, no matter their postcode.
The service aims to enhance capability in Victorian hospitals, reduce diagnostic delays and improve access to effective acute stroke treatments. In particular, improving access to reperfusion therapies, such as intravenous thrombolysis ("clot busting therapy"), and endovascular clot retrieval (catheter removal of a blood clot from the brain). These therapies are proven to lead to better patient outcomes.
The University of Queensland's Centre of Research Excellence in Telehealth has produced short videos to debunk several myths about telehealth
Recognising the limited awareness about telehealth within some groups of health service users and providers, the team from the University of Queensland's Centre of Research Excellence in Telehealth has produced short videos to debunk several myths about telehealth and to showcase exemplars of telehealth use in hospital and at home. One video summarises what is telehealth and debunks myths. Another shows the benefits of geriatricians' teleconsultation directly into an aged care facility. Mobile dermatology for melanoma detection is showcased in one video, and two other videos describe telerehabilitation services from the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital in Brisbane; one being for speech therapy services for head and neck cancers and the other provided for chronic spinal pain. The CRE team encourages all to use and share these videos to improve awareness of telehealth Access videos via the Centre of Research Excellence in Telehealth website: Have a look at the videos here
Successes and Failures in Telehealth (SFT-18) Conference Is Back With a New Workshop Program !
The University of Queensland's Centre for Online Health in conjunction with the Australasian Telehealth Society is pleased to invite you to the Successes and Failures in Telehealth Conference 22-24 October 2018, at the Darwin Convention Centre with a series of new workshops with more information being announced soon.
SFT-18 attracts 200 delegates every year, including academics, doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, government representatives, policy advisers, health Informatics and information technology leaders, educators and managers. SFT is a 2-day interactive experience that promotes engagement, innovation, critical debate and future planning.
For more information please go here
Please feel free to contact us at kara@icebergevents.com.au with any questions.
SFT-18 Venue
Darwin Convention Centre, Australia.
10 Stokes Hill Rd
Darwin City
NT 0800 Australia
22-24 October 2018
