Virtual clinic to trial digital diagnostic equipment

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Picture: Dr Graham is the Medical Director for WellSouth and leads the winter clinic.

eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

A virtual out-of-hours clinic running in Invercargill over the winter has proved successful and will now trial the use of digital diagnostic equipment.

WellSouth Primary Health Network chief information officer Kyle Ford says the clinic started in June and is now seeing 25–30 patients a week, reducing pressure on the emergency department during the busy winter months.

The winter clinic is run out of the WellSouth clinic in Invercargill and is staffed by Dunedin GPs who work from 3pm–7pm five days a week. Patients are assessed by a nurse and talk to a doctor via video link.

Ford says patients have responded positively to having telehealth consultations and the proof of concept has been a success.

WellSouth is now partnering with telehealth company Visionflex to incorporate diagnostic tools so future clinics can use digital equipment as part of the consultation, starting with the digital stethoscope and otoscope.

Ford says the equipment can be used with mobile connectivity and also integrated with an electronic health record, which is a big advantage.

Nurses currently carry out necessary examinations on patients in the clinic, reducing the time needed with the doctor. As technology advances, electronic equipment could allow less-qualified staff to assist in consultations or even provide self-service facilities to provide basic diagnostics for the remote GP, he explains.

Ford would ultimately like to see consultations offered to people in their own homes as technology becomes more affordable.

Patients can be referred to the virtual clinic by their GP, pharmacist or the ED.

“Whether this continues past winter depends on the demand. It’s up to the consumers to make that decision and it’s interesting to see there’s an appetite for it to continue,” says Ford.

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