Addressing Pain Points: Thinking outside the Telehealth Box

Abstract

In this chapter, we present the synthesis of six pain points relating to Australia’s hospital congestion which is under crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic forced health services to respond rapidly to maintain continuity of care through telehealth. Some of these strategies were anticipated to be short-term arrangements, implemented quickly, and haphazardly deployed. While the health emergency accelerated the adoption of telehealth and models of remote care, this implementation was reactive. It is evident that our hospital systems continue to grapple with the issues of an aging population, expanding demand for mental health services, and escalating costs and too few resources. A shift in philosophy to address these and other recurring pain points presents opportunities to embrace virtual care beyond current implementations of telehealth.