Doctor only a phone call away

In a bid to cut down the mounting pressure on public hospital emergency units, a proposal for a telephone medical consultation service has been made by the NSW Health Council. The plan involves referring patients to call centres where they can talk to a GP or nurse who have accessed their medical records through a database. The NSW Health Council made the recommendation for the phone service as part of a reform of the state health system. Professor Ron Penny, head of the chronic care management team at the NSW Health Council, says that a large number of patients were admitted to hospital seeking medical advice for circumstances, particularly after hours, that could be simply resolved over the phone.

This is an interesting step for the health care system that may herald the start of a similar service provided online, where patients can consult a doctor over the Internet. Trials of Internet doctor consultations have already been trialed overseas, however, within Australia a government funded online consultative service is yet to be developed but may not be too far away.