Telehealth patients miss out on pathology
Better digital integration required
New research shows that patients using telehealth to consult with a GP received fewer referrals for pathology testing than people who visited a GP face-to-face. Of face-to-face consultations, 10% were given a referral for a blood test, compared to 5% of telehealth consultations.
This research demonstrates that if telehealth is to remain part of routine healthcare it is crucial that gaps in service are addressed, states Dr Rae-Anne Hardie lead researcher from the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Macquarie University.
This gap in service occurs because currently there is no standardised way for GPs to complete pathology referrals digitally and most private and public laboratories in Australia prefer a hard copy brought in by the patient.
With more than 54 million telehealth services completed Australia wide in the 12 months up to March 2021, telehealth has responded to ongoing demand from the community and processes will need to be harmonised and moved online to avoid gaps in service.
“Most patients choose to have a telehealth consultation due to health or safety concerns, convenience, or because of COVID19 restrictions, making it unlikely they will be willing or able to collect a paper-based pathology referral in person following the consultation.”
Doctors, pathology laboratories and IT providers will need to work together to achieve integration of digital pathology referrals with telehealth consultations, in a way that supports rather than disrupts the GP’s interaction with a patient.
Data from 807 general practices in New South Wales and Victoria (37 million GP consultations) was analysed for the research. Pathology tests, such as blood tests, provide GPs with important information to help them make decisions about diagnosis, treatment and management for patients.
This project is based on a collaborative relationship involving the Digital Health Cooperative Research Centre, Macquarie University, Outcome Health, Gippsland, Eastern Melbourne and South Eastern Melbourne PHNs, and the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Quality Assurance Programs, with participation from Central and Eastern Sydney and South Western Sydney PHNs.
Read the journal article here or request a copy:
Telehealth-based diagnostic testing in general practice during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational studyRae-Anne Hardie, Gorkem Sezgin, Chisato Imai, Emma Gault, Precious McGuire, Muhammad Kashif Sheikh, Christopher Pearce, Tony Badrick, Andrew Georgiou BJGP Open 24 November 2021; BJGPO.2021.0123. DOI: 10.3399/BJGPO.2021.0123
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