Telemedicine Introduction
Brisbane Hip Clinic is pleased to offer the option of Telemedicine Consultation services. This service can be used for many aspects of your management including your initial assessment consultation, pre-operative evaluations and also review assessments including post-surgical evaulation. Whilst your initial evaluations prior to surgery will require a face-face consultation for physical examination, many parts of your subsequent management may be conducted using either video conferencing or telephone consultation in a hydrid manner.
Why Telemedicine?
Video conferencing is ideal for patients who find travelling to Brisbane CBD inconvenient or live some distance away. Telemedicine is a simple and convenient way of making contact with your Specialist from your own home. All that is required is the ability to perform online video calls - most computers, phones and tablet devices have this capability.
How do I arrange a Telemedicine Consultation?
When you ring the Brisbane Hip Clinic for an appointment, you may request that your consultation be performed by Telemedicine. Video Conferening is often preferred to voice only telephone calls as video assisted consultations will enable additional clinical evaluations to be conducted as well as allow us to screenshare and show you important aspects of your XRays and scans. Clinic staff will assist you in making a convenient appointment time for your Telemedicine Consultation. A letter from your referring Doctor will assist us in determining your requirements for an earlier consultation if required. We strongly recommend you check our Telemedicine Checklist a minimum of 1 week in advance of your consultation.
On the day of your Telemedicine Consultation, clinic staff will contact your nominated account. We will call you at the nominated appointment time. It is best to be prepared for your consultation in a quiet location with good internet access. Payment of any out of pocket expenses for your consultation can be made by Credit Card and a reciept will be emailed to you.
After your consultation, we will send a letter to your referring Doctor (and other health care providers involved in your care) explaining the findings and recommendations for your ongoing management.
What Video Conferencing platform is required?
We use FaceBook Messanger for Video Conferencing. Many different types of devices will support FaceBook Messanger for Video Conferencing, including video camera enabled computers, phones and tablets. For computers without inbuilt cameras, USB cameras are relatively inexpensive and easy to install. Video Conferencing enables you to speak face to face with your Doctor but also allows limited physical examination tests to be conducted such as the observation of walking and wound inspection.
What are the limitations of Telemedicine?
While many aspects of your management can be conducted online by Telemedicine, a face to face consultation will always be required if surgery is recommended. Additionally, there may be some aspects of your evaluation where physical examination in Brisbane will be necessary to assist in your diagnosis or management. Typically however, Telemedicine services may substantially reduce the number of trips you are required to make into Brisbane.
Coordinating hip replacement if you live outside of south east Queensland
This information has been for the purposes of patient education. The details provided are of general nature only and do not substitute for professional recommendations based an individual clinical assessment. 11/25.
