Ahpra and the National Boards have issued new guidelines about the use of telehealth as the concept of remote optometry takes root in Australia.
According to the regulator, health practitioners and consumers are increasingly choosing virtual care alternatives as the adoption of technology continues to grow, as well as online prescribing and the use of health ‘apps’.
One in four Australians has had at least one telehealth consultation in the past 12 months and optometry is seeing similar interest in this area.
The August issue of Insight featured a visit to the OPSM Macquarie Centre in Sydney and a demonstration of its remote optometry offering, while Specsavers is also investing in a remote optometry service.
The model involves optometrists – often in metro areas – caring for patients located in parts of Australia with limited access to eyecare services. The patients visit a nearby location fitted out with equipment operated by a technician, while the optometrist runs through the consultation via a video link.
Because of trends like this across multiple health disciplines, Ahpra and the National Boards have published virtual care information for health practitioners, the public and employers about accessing and providing safe and effective virtual care.
These documents replace the previous telehealth guidance for practitioners which was developed to address the impact of Covid-19 restrictions.
The information is not new and relies on the existing principles within the National Boards’ regulatory framework, such as Codes of Conduct and other relevant standards and guidelines. It has been developed as a helpful resource for healthcare providers and consumers to understand what good virtual care should look like.
The Medical Board of Australia also has the Telehealth consultations with patients guidelines to inform registered medical practitioners and the community about the Medical Board of Australia’s expectations of medical practitioners who have telehealth consultations with patients.
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