Increased Access

Telehealth allows for services to reach all Australians, regardless of where they are located. This is particularly important for people living in rural & regional Australia, who have extremely limited access to psychologists and psychiatrists.

This benefit also applies to those who lack modes of transportation or those who have limited mobility and may not be able to present in person. This particularly applies to many of our NDIS clients who are grateful to have the option of telepsychology. Clients often tell us they are relieved to be able to attend their appointment without having to rely on their carers or support coordinators to transport them.

Convenient & Cost Effective

Telehealth is convenient for many people who lead a busy lifestyle. For example, parents may need to organise childcare and transport while they attend a face-to-face psychiatry consultations. This can be both stressful to organise and costly. Attending the appointment from the comfort of their own home alleviates the additional stress and anxiety involved with face to face care.

Effective and Engaging

In general, people are more likely to engage to improve their emotional disturbance when the service is online and more accessible. It is also important to note that in the case of most children and adolescents, they prefer to attend doctors appointments over telehealth. They are familiar with the technology and are also in a ‘safe space’ when they are at home or another familiar environment rather than the clinic.

It has been reported that around 74% of patients are comfortable with communicating with their doctors using technology instead of seeing them in person.

A recent study by JD Power has reported that ”Telehealth encounters are preferred to in-person visits for several forms of routine care.

Among patients using telehealth in the past year;

– 80% say they prefer telehealth for prescription refills;

– 72% say they prefer telehealth for reviewing medication options;

– 71% say they prefer telehealth for discussing test results.

– Another 57% of patients say they prefer telehealth for regular mental health visits”.

Improved Health Outcomes

Due to waitlists in most of Australia for both psychology and psychiatry, telehealth offers a more timely service than most face to face clinics. Telehealth platform, Coviu have found that their users reported ‘teletherapy can lead to breakthroughs in treatment for certain clients who respond better to online treatment than in-person’. Patients can easily connect to a health care professional and receive early intervention due to the shorter wait period. In turn, this reduces the rate of mental health related hospitalisations and readmissions. ​

Troy, Mich. (2022, September 22) Telehealth Emerges as Preferred Channel for Routine Care While Increasing Access to Mental Health Treatment. Retrieved December 10, 2022, from;

https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2022-us-telehealth-satisfaction-study

Marina Lyshova. (2021, September 16) The Efficacy and Benefits of Telepsychology. Retrieved December 10,2022 from;

https://www.coviu.com/en-au/blog/the-efficacy-and-benefits-of-telepsychology