Telstra Health has completed a 12-month trial of its ReadyCare telemedicine service in rural and remote areas of Western Australia, which succeeded in identifying some gaps in service provision but still faced the challenge of lack of funding for telehealth in primary care provision.
The trial, which ran alongside the existing nurse triage and after-hours GP advice hotlines managed by Healthdirect, offered the extra capabilities of diagnosis and treatment through telephone and video conferencing along with the ability of its GPs to prescribe medications and refer patients to specialist services.
