Health Through the Marae uses RPM to reach disconnected whānau

NEWS - eHealthNews.nz editor Rebecca McBeth 

A marae-based health initiative is using telehealth and remote patient monitoring (RPM) to reconnect whānau with healthcare services and help them understand how to manage their conditions.

Health Through the Marae is based at Tāhuna Marae in South Auckland and was founded by Tahuna Minhinnick in 1992 under the flagship of Whare Oranga - a marae-based health centre that serves as the community's medical hub. 

The organisation uses a remote patient monitoring platform from Tyto to provide consultations with their two virtual GPs in Auckland and Brisbane, enabling patients to do medical examinations from their homes or the marae clinic.

Chief executive Piritania Minhinnick took over when her brother passed away in 2016 and says the virtual care model was a response to their local medical centre withdrawing services, leaving many whānau members who were taking multiple medications without regular medical support.

"They just stayed home and dealt with their conditions themselves… or not," she tells eHealthNews. 

"Our home visits identified immediately there were 12 that just stopped taking medications and disconnected themselves, so we had to do something about that."

Tyto devices enable patients to do their own medical examinations, including checking throat, ears, heart sounds, and other vital signs. The results are either viewed live by GPs during virtual consultations or stored and sent to nurses for triaging before being forwarded to doctors.

The organisation piloted the home-based telehealth programme with 200 whānau across 20 homes before expanding the service. 

Minhinnick says they initially thought the elderly patients would struggle to adopt the technology, but they have become the most successful users.

She explains that during Covid-19, the organisation gave tablets and Wi-Fi access to isolated whānau members, pairing elderly residents with young people who taught technology skills in exchange for learning about tikanga and Māori philosophy.

Patients now learn to operate the devices themselves and understand their readings, with the aim of reducing dependency on healthcare providers.

"Our job is to build the capabilities of the whānau. So when they come in the clinic, you press play and you run the device yourself," she explains.

The platform also connects with hospital specialists from Middlemore Hospital and the Manukau SuperClinic, reducing travel  for specialist appointments, and family members can join consultations through shared links.

Minhinnick says the organisation's approach is all about listening to whānau needs, rather than making assumptions about solutions. 

"The only prerequisite you really need are your ears. Because if we are not listening, then we cannot be of support," she says.

To comment on or discuss this news story, go to the eHealthNews category on the HiNZ eHealth Forum

You’ve read this article for free, but good journalism takes time and resource to produce. Please consider supporting eHealthNews by becoming a member of HiNZ, for just $17 a month

Read more Digital Patient news

Return to eHealthNews.nz home page