Australia’s healthcare system is in crisis. Health services are under enormous stress from a population that is ageing rapidly (the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to climb from about 2.5 million in 2002 to 6.2 million in 2042), heavy workloads for health professionals and increasingly constrained budgets.
This strain can be felt most acutely by the 7 million Australians living outside metropolitan centres – particularly those in remote areas up to several hundred kilometres from the nearest town or city. So what measures can reduce stress on healthcare services in Australia, while meeting the needs of people in metropolitan and rural areas?
The answer lies in new technologies, many of which are based on telehealth – a term defined by the International Organisation for Standards as “the use of telecommunication techniques for the purpose of providing telemedicine, medical education and health education over a distance”.
The telehealth revolution
For healthcare professionals supporting Australians in regional areas, the benefits of telehealth technologies are considerable. Travel to remote locations can be restricted to medical emergencies, with less serious and ongoing cases assessed using digital images, video, audio and other data delivered over telecommunications networks. This data can be viewed and assessed on devices such as desktop computers, or notebooks or tablets for professionals on the move.
Telehealth technologies may also allow healthcare professionals to remotely monitor vulnerable people such as the elderly, and quickly respond to any health emergency. In addition, health educators benefit by using telehealth technologies to deliver courses and updates online, rather than physically travelling to various locations to provide the same services.
Governments and health services providers are already recognising and leveraging the potential of telehealth to revolutionise health services delivery in Australia. For example, Queensland Health operates a Telehealth Support Unit that works with the Department of Hospital and Health Services, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Medicare Locals to operate telehealth services across the state.
As well as enabling healthcare professionals to treat patients in a more targeted way, telehealth and related technologies are empowering people to assume greater responsibility for their own health. For example, individuals can use smartphone apps to remind them to take medications and track their fitness programs using smart wristbands. As these technologies become more pervasive and the pace of innovation continues to quicken over the coming years, these trends may ease some of the burden on overstretched healthcare resources.
Lenovo has developed a deep expertise in the challenges that healthcare providers and patients in Australia face and provides technologies that enable them to reap the rewards of telehealth and other innovations. These technologies include market-leading mobility, cloud and security solutions that can boost patient engagement and support customised care. Talk to us about how we can help you meet the challenges of operating in today's healthcare environment.
