BUSHkids 2017-18 Annual Report

teleHealth

A teleHealth framework for BUSHkids: we have been partnering with the Centre for Research Excellence (CRE) in Telehealth at The University of Queensland (UQ) on a project to develop this groundbreaking service delivery technology. Telehealth is the use of telecommunications technology to enhance healthcare, public health and health education delivery and support 1 and can include videoconferencing, sending health information to a clinician for assessment, clinicians monitoring clients at home, or the use of mobile phones and tablets for healthcare. As an organisation that primarily supports rural and remote communities, for BUSHkids teleHealth presents opportunities to provide our services – particularly Allied Health services – in areas where therapists aren’t physically available.

This research project will help BUSHkids develop and implement a teleHealth framework that will improve access to services in rural and remote areas. Jessica Campbell, a full-time PhD student, is working on the project with BUSHkids under the supervision of a UQ advisory team comprised of Professor Deborah Theodoros, Professor Trevor Russell, Associate Professor Nicole Gillespie and Dr Nicole Hartley. Our teleHealth research has taken place in several stages. In late 2016 and early 2017, a ‘service gap analysis’ was conducted, which identified differences between current and desired BUSHkids health service delivery and the willingness of stakeholders to adopt teleHealth . This involved phone and in-person interviews with BUSHkids clients, staff members, decision-makers and community stakeholders, and analysis of BUSHkids service data. The second stage of the project — in late 2017 and 2018 — has drawn on the results of the service gap analysis to identify three different ways BUSHkids can help families in remote areas by using teleHealth . These are to provide: • Psychology services from Brisbane to the Emerald region • Speech Pathology services from Emerald to smaller towns in the Emerald region • Parent education webinars to

These service models (illustrated in the graphic below) have been further trialled in late 2018 to add: • Speech Pathology services from Mount Isa to Bundaberg and Normanton, as well as from Warwick into clients’ homes • Speech Pathology and Occupational Therapy services from Emerald into client homes • Psychology services from Brisbane to Warwick. By evaluating the success of these different models, BUSHkids will be able to understand the best combination of technology to undertake different types of our own applications of teleHealth , and the most effective way of using the technology to support children and families in rural and remote communities. It is anticipated that the teleHealth trials will be completed by the end of 2018 and by evaluating the findings we will be able to make recommendations for the development of our teleHealth services during 2019. By the end of 2018, BUSHkids’ Dalby Centre will join the Brisbane, Warwick, Emerald and Mount Isa offices in being equipped to facilitate teleHealth .

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community members at home in the Kingaroy, Stanthorpe/Wallangarra, and Agnes Water/Miriam Vale regions.

1 Centre for Connected Health Policy. A Framework for Defining Telehealth 2018 [cited 2018 11 June]. Available from: www.cchpca.org/sites/default/files/uploader/Telehealth%20Definintion%20Framework%20for%20TRCs_0.pdf