I was reflecting on many of the changes in healthcare over my lifetime – a fairly lengthy period proven by the fact that I remember various infectious diseases which were once prevalent and have now been largely eradicated through advances in inoculation and new treatments.

While there have been wonderful and life saving developments in clinical/surgical techniques, medication and technology, the “customer service” part of healthcare has declined and GP’s are now viewed very differently. I can clearly recall that the family doctor used to come out to your house day or night including weekends and was always contactable. The house would be tidied, new jammies put on the patient and tea and biscuits laid out ready for the visit. The deference and almost reverential treatment that the family doctor used to be given was a continuation of the regard and status that healers have had throughout history – from the days of shamans, witch doctors and wise women.

These days, we as individuals are taking more responsibility for our own and our families’ health. Australians are increasingly turning to the internet to find both general and specific information on wellness, prevention and support for a wide range of conditions. While the net is a very valuable resource, by its very nature it can lead you to both good and clinically verified advice but also contains a lot of unratified and occasionally dangerous or unnecessarily frightening data too. You should always check the validity of the site and where the information is sourced from – and remember, always check with your medical provider before embarking on any self help process.

One site worth visiting is the Telstra BigPond Health site.  It is one of the most popular health sites in Australia, with some excellent programs and health information on a wide range of topics.

I certainly do not advocate going back to the “good old days” and feel that the only way to sensibly and cost effectively improve GP and nursing services is by adopting new technologies which can redress some of the current service issues. With the introduction of devices such as the T-Hub and T-Box, it is a short step to providing video phone systems in the home and also linking these to home health monitoring units such as the wireless blood glucose measurement system recently launched by Telstra. There are many other new and exciting home health solutions emerging and some of these developments are covered in a previous blog by a colleague of mine – Hugh Bradlow.
Wireless Heart monitor designed for home usage with alerts automatically sent to a health team

These solutions could lessen waiting times, help redevelop a family health relationship with providers, reduce trips to hospital A&E departments and result in better patient outcomes. One interesting statistic is that each $1 spent in Home Care can save between $3-$4 in Acute Care costs.

Along with these monitoring solutions, the key to the success in family healthcare is in having modern fixed and wireless communications as the “glue” which can connect the disparate islands of healthcare and seamlessly deliver relevant information and support at the point of care. This is as relevant in the home, a hospital or a GP clinic.

In a country such as ours, the additional requirement to provide equality of services to rural and remote patients mandate that we rapidly adopt and implement these technologies for the benefit of all and at a cost that Australia can afford. Recent developments in Telemedicine have enabled solutions which will provide rural and remote hospitals and clinics with expert advice and diagnosis, saving transport costs and providing better patient outcomes.

Is the adoption of these human/machine interfaces something that you would view favourably?